Why is stainless steel rust-proof? Stainless steel air Mainly iron and chromium (12%) protective with small Cr2O3 layer amounts of nickel and carbon.
Chromium is more reactive than iron. It reacts quickly with
oxygen from the air to form a very thin layer of chromium oxide on the surface of the steel. This protects the iron atoms from reacting with the oxygen in the air and prevents rust forming. If the steel is scratched or cut, more chromium atoms quickly form a new protective layer.
Electrolysis of solutions When electrolysing aqueous ionic compounds, the hydrogen and hydroxide ions in water may become involved in the reaction. If this happens, hydrogen or oxygen may form
If an ionic compound contains a metal that is more reactive
than hydrogen, electrolysis of a solution of the compound produces hydrogen at the negative electrode.
Electrolysis of copper sulfate (aq) produces pure copper at the
cathode, as copper is less reactive than hydrogen. Electrolysis of sodium chloride (aq) produces hydrogen at the cathode, as sodium is more reactive than hydrogen.
The solution contains potassium (K+) and hydrogen (H+) ions.
Hydrogen ions are reduced at the negative electrode to form hydrogen gas, as potassium is more reactive than hydrogen. The negative ions in the solutions are: nitrate (NO3–) in potassium nitrate sulfate (SO42–) in potassium sulfate hydroxide (OH–) from the water It is the hydroxide ions react, producing oxygen at the positive electrode. This is because OH– ions are less reactive than both SO42– and NO3– ions. The other ions (K+ and NO3– or SO42–) stay in the solution. What happens if the current is left flowing for a long time?
What determines the amount of metal? The amount of metal which is deposited at the negative electrode depends on the number of electrons available to reduce the metal ions.
This can be increased in two ways:
1. Increasing the current which flows through the circuit. This increases the amount of charge flowing through the circuit every second, meaning more metal ions are reduced at the cathode. 2. Increasing the time current flows through the circuit. This increases the total amount of charge flowing, increasing the total amount of metal deposited.
The Faraday constant Charge is calculated using the equation:
charge = current × time
Q = I × t (Coulombs) (Amps) (seconds)
Faraday’s First Law of Electrolysis states that the mass of
a substance produced at an electrode is directly proportional to the charge at that electrode. A charge of 96,500 coulombs is equivalent to one mole of electrons flowing through the circuit. This amount of charge is called the Faraday constant, which can be used to calculate the mass of an electrolysis product.
Electrolysis calculations Faraday’s law and constant allow us to gain quantitative information about an electrolysis. Faraday’s constant allows us to find the number of moles of electrons that have passed through an electrolysis. Question: A charge of 4550 coulombs passes through a circuit. How many moles of electrons is this? 1 mole of electrons has a charge of 96,500 coulombs Therefore: number of moles of electrons = 4550 ÷ 96,500 = 0.047 moles e– Once you have the number of moles of electrons, it is possible to calculate the mass of a product in an electrolysis.