First law of Faraday with Cobra SMARTsense

Principle

Faraday’s laws are also referred to as the fundamental laws of electrolysis and describe the process occurring in it. In this experiment, students learn about the principle of Faraday’s first law through electrolysis, which states that the amount of substance deposited at an electrode is proportional to the electric charge passed through the electrolyte.

Tasks

1. Set up an electrolysis apparatus and start the electrolysis.
2. Weigh the copper electrodes before and after use (analytical balance!) and record your observations.
3. Perform the electrolysis with three different reaction durations (5, 10, and 15 minutes).
4. Demonstrate that (at constant current) the following applies: m ∝ I · t → mass is proportional to the product of current and time.

Learning objectives

Students experimentally learn about Faraday’s first law and verify its validity. They recognize that the amount of substance deposited during electrolysis is proportional to the product of current and time.

Benefits

• Experiment is part of a complete set covering all key curriculum topics in electrochemistry.
• Quick and easy experiment preparation (instructions and risk assessment available).
• Increased student motivation through the use of the intuitive measureAPP (freely available).
• Improvement of digital/media skills.