Design Experiment: Zinc-Copper Voltaic Cell

Research Question
Investigation of the effect of Temperature on a Zinc-Copper galvanic cell voltage. The solutions of each half cell is 1.0 mol dm-3 (i.e. standard).

Variables
Independent: Temperature of the cell. Dependent: Voltage passing through the circuit. Controlled: Pressure, 1.0 mol dm-3 concentration of CuSO4 and ZnSO4, Size of electrodes, Salt bridge.

Background Information Oxidizing agents are substances that readily gain electrons and are able to oxidize other substances in a reaction. Reducing agents readily donate electrons so they reduce other substances in a reaction. All metals act as reducing agents. In the Reactivity Series, metals are assorted according to how readily they give up their electrons, how reactive they are. This series can be seen below:

http://www.scienceunleashed.ie/GenImage.aspx?id=1071

From this series we can extract information on which displacement reactions will occur more spontaneously or even which will occur at all. For example, Zinc which is higher up the series, displaces Copper from a solution of Copper sulphate and therefore it is placed above Copper in a reactivity series.

Hazards and safety precautions:

Anhydrous copper sulfate: Harmful if swallowed. Irritating to eyes and skin. Very toxic to aquatic organisms; may cause long-term adverse effects in the aquatic environment. Hydrated zinc sulfate: Harmful if swallowed. Risk of serious damage to the eyes. Very toxic to aquatic organisms; may cause long-term adverse effects in the aquatic environment. Safety goggles and gloves must be worn, good ventilation required.

Theoretical Background
An oxidation-reduction reaction involves the transfer of electrons form one substance - the reducing agent - to another - the oxidizing agent. If these electrons are made to travel through an external circuit then an electric current is produced. This set-up is known as an electrochemical cell. The Reaction The zinc half cell will be constructed of a strip of Zn metal placed in an aqueous solution of ZnSO4. As an equilibrium will be formed between the Zn metal and the Zn ions in the aqueous solution, the half cell equation will be as shown below: Zn (s) Zn2+ (aq) + 2e-

The same way a copper half cell will be constructed in the second beaker and the equation will be: Cu (s) Cu2+ (aq) + 2e-

Zn metal is higher in the reactivity series than Cu metal. This means that when the two half-cells are connected with each other, electrons will flow through the external circuit from the Zn half-cell which will lose its electrons more readily to the Cu half-cell. So, as the Zn metal is losing electrons (oxidation) to the Cu metal, it will form the negative electrode (Anode). The Cu metal which is then reduced will form the positive one (Cathode).

In order to complete the circuit, however, a salt bridge is used in order to allow the flow of electrons from one solution to another. This ion movement also neutralizes any buildup of charge. Cell Notation Zn Zn2+ Cu2+ Cu

The overall spontaneous reaction which will occur is shown below: Zn (s) + Cu2+ (aq) Zn2+ (aq) + Cu (s)

The standard cell e.m.f. of this reaction is measured by using the values of standard electrode potentials given in the IB Data booklet as shown below: Most reactive metal: Zn (s) Least reactive metal: Cu (s) - 0.76 V + 0.34 V 0.34 ( 0.76) = 1.10 V

ERHS - ELHS = Ecell

Note: The difference in the position of the metals in the reactivity series causes a larger voltage to be produced. However, Zn metal and Cu metal are relatively low in cost and are more easily attainable so they are used in this design experiment.

For the purpose of this design experiment I will be designing a system that will able us to examine the effects the temperature has on the voltage produced through a Zinc-Copper voltaic cell.

Apparatus
Digital Voltmeter 500 ml Beaker Salt Bridge 10x2 cm copper metal strip 10x2 cm zinc metal strip CuSO4 (1.0 mol dm-3 ) solution Zn SO4 (1.0 mol dm-3 ) solution Thermostatic Bath Wires with crocodile clips Thermometer 1 2 5 1 1

Quantity

Error Values
mV 0.2 oC 0.1 oC

200 ml 200 ml 1 2 1

Method
1. Set up the apparatus as shown in the diagram below:

http://ro.zrsss.si/badoko/voltai1.gif

2. Place one thermometer in each beaker and take a reading. Important: Wait a few minutes in for the thermometer to reach a final temperature. Take the reading when the temperature is constant. At this point the reading on the voltmeter should be identical to the literature value of the reaction (= 1.10 V). However, it is not likely the two values will be the same and the reasons for this are several: The concentrations of all the solutions are probably not 1 mole per liter. Solutions are not kept at 25oC The voltage measured is affected by the large electrical resistance of the cells. This can be due to bad connections or worn out wires.

If there is a very large deviation from the literature value, take measures to improve the circuit by making the concentrations 1 mole per liter, keeping the initial temperature at 25oC and checking the circuit for any bad connections. 3. Place the beakers in the thermostatic bath. Set the temperature to 30 degrees Celsius and take a measurement of the voltage going through the circuit. Use the thermometers to make sure that the solutions have reached the desired temperature. 4. Repeat Step 3 until the system reaches a final temperature of 70-75 degrees Celsius. This will give enough readings to compare. 5. Create a table containing the measurements taken like the shown below:

Voltage 0.001 V
Trial 1 Trial 2 Trial 3 Mean Voltage x x x x x

Temperature 0.1 oC

x x x x x

x x x x x

x x x x x

30.0 35.0 40.0 45.0

After some time, the zinc electrode will dissolve into the solution and so the concentration of the zinc ion solution will be increased. The copper ion will form around the copper electrode and causing the concentration of the copper ion in the solution to decrease. The reaction therefore slows down and the voltage decreases, and eventually reaches equilibrium.

Controlling the variables - Pressure: It is assumed to be 1 atm which is the atmospheric pressure. NO change to the
pressure is made throughout the experiment. Concentration of Solutions: To make sure that all the concentrations are 1 mole per liter we can use the equation: ( ) ( ) ( )

Size of the electrodes: The same sized electrodes from the same supply of metals are used every time. This is to ensure that they have the same electrical resistance. Salt bridge: Identical salt bridges are used every time soaked in a chemically inert electrolyte such as potassium chloride or sodium chloride.

The Nernst equation allows us to predict the cell potential for voltaic cells under conditions that vary from the standard conditions (1M, 1 atmosphere, 25C). The equation is shown below:

Q = thermodynamic reaction quotient T = temperature (K) R = gas constant n = number of electrons transferred F = Faraday's constant

Entering different values for the temperature in the equation, the following table was obtained: Ecell / V 0.8984 0.8648 0.8312 0.7975 0.7639 0.7303 0.6967 Temperature / K 303 308 313 318 323 328 333

From the table above we can see that the cell potential tends to decrease with temperature. The Nernst equation alone cannot be used to accurately calculate the exact change in voltage due to the temperature change. This is because the resistance of the cell depends on several inseparable components and variables which include: The resistance of the solution which decreases with higher temperature. It is however affected by changes in the concentration of the solutions. The resistance in the wiring which increases with higher temperature, The difference in the static electrochemical force between the anode and cathode.

However, I hypothesize that we will be able to see this downward trend when carrying out the experiment.