TITLE:

Electrolysis of water and copper (II) sulphate solution

OBJECTIVES:

1. To understand the redox reaction occur in electrolysis of water

2. To perform laboratory procedures to explain whether precipitation occur when
various ions are placed in the same solution

APPARATUS:

1. 9-volt battery
2. Two alligator clip leads or insulated wire
3. Beaker or glass
4. Piece of thin cardboard or card stock
5. Two (2) pencils

MATERIALS:

1. water
2. salt
3. Copper (II) sulphate

PROCEDURES:

A. Electrolysis of water

i. The beaker was filled with 250ml warm water.

ii. Carefully remove the erasers and metal sleeves so you can sharpen both ends of
each pencil. These pencils are your electrodes. The graphite in them will conduct electricity,
but would not dissolve into the water.

Iii. Then, a piece of the cardboard was cut to fit over the beaker, and then two holes
were punched in the centre of the cardboard about an inch apart. The pencils were pushed
through the holes and set them in the glass. They should extend into the water, but not
touch the bottom of the glass. The cardboard will hold them in place.

iv. Each pencil was connected to the battery with an alligator clip lead attached to the
exposed graphite (pencil lead).

v. The power supply turned on and the observation was recorded for 5 minutes.

vi. Then, some salt added into the same beaker and the observation was recorded for
another 5 minutes.
vii. The reaction occurred was observed in the beaker.

B. Electrolysis of Copper (II) sulphate.

i. The beaker was filled with 250ml warm water. Then, 3 g of copper (II) sulphate was
added into the water.

ii. Carefully remove the erasers and metal sleeves so you can sharpen both ends of
each pencil. These pencils are your electrodes. The graphite in them will conduct electricity,
but would not dissolve into the water.

Iii. Then, a piece of the cardboard was cut to fit over the beaker, and then two holes
were punched in the centre of the cardboard about an inch apart. The pencils were pushed
through the holes and set them in the glass. They should extend into the water, but not
touch the bottom of the glass. The cardboard will hold them in place.

iv. Each pencil was connected to the battery with an alligator clip lead attached to the
exposed graphite (pencil lead).

v. The power supply was turned on and the observation was recorded for 5 minutes.

vi. The reaction occurs was observed in the beaker.

RESULT:

Psychomotor mark: https://youtu.be/iwoV6T5Q4Qw

Electrolysis of water

OBSERVATION
Electrolysis of water Bubbles appearing around each of the pencil tips in the
water and floating upward. Those bubbles are the
components of water which are hydrogen and oxygen gas
that have been split apart by the electricity as it travels
through the water from one pencil to the other.

Anode: The pencil attached to the positive terminal of

the battery collects oxygen gas.

Cathode: The pencil attached to the negative terminal of

the battery collects hydrogen gas.

Electrolyte: H2O (water)

Electrolysis of water + Produces aqueous sodium hydroxide and chlorine.

salt More bubbles were seen After added some salt
compared to electrolysis of water.
Cathode: Hydrogen gas will be seen to bubble up at the
 cathode

Anode: chlorine gas will bubble at the anode.

Electrolyte: NaCl (sodium chloride)

A. Electrolysis of Copper (II) sulphate.

ELECTRODE OBSERVATION
Anode The anode loses mass as
copper dissolves. Formation
of colorless bubbles.
Cathode Some brown colour powdery
were formed. The cathode
gains mass as copper is
deposited. Plating the copper
ions onto the pencil tip.
Electrolyte Copper II sulphate

DISCUSSION:

Electrolysis is an electrochemical process by which current passes from one electrode to

another in an ionized solution that is an electrolyte. In this process, positive ions or cations
come to the negative electrode or cathode and negative ions or anions come to the positive
electrode or anode.

An electrolyte is such a chemical whose atoms are tightly bonded together, by ionic
bonds but when we dissolve it in water, its molecules split up into positive, and negative
ions. The positively charged ions are referred as cations whereas negatively charged ions are
referred as anions. Both cations and anions move freely in the solution.

Now, let’s look at the electrolysis of water:

(A) Electrolysis of water:

As soon as i connect the wires to the battery, I have seen bubbles appearing around
each of the pencil tips in the water and floating upward. Those bubbles are the components
of water which is hydrogen and oxygen gas that have been split apart by the electricity as it
travels through the water from one pencil to the other.

2 H2O(l) → 2 H2(g) + O2(g)

 The pencil attached to the negative terminal of the battery collects hydrogen gas while the
one connected to the positive terminal collects oxygen. In fact there is no colour change in
the electrolysis of water.

In the electrolysis of water:

The chemical reaction at the anode is

2H₂O → 0₂ + 4H+ + 4e¯

The reaction at the cathode is

2H₂O + 2e → H₂ + 2OH

When some salt (NaCl) added into the same beaker, there were more bubbles formed
compared to electrolysis of water, it produces aqueous sodium hydroxide and chlorine,
although usually only in minute amounts. Hydrogen gas will be seen to bubble up at the
cathode, and chlorine gas will bubble at the anode.

In the electrolysis of water + salt (NaCl):

The reaction at the anode is

2Cl→ Cl₂ +2e

The chemical reaction at the cathode is

2H+ + 2e → H₂

(B) Electrolysis of copper II sulphate:

Whenever copper sulfate or CuSO4 is added to water, it gets dissolved in the water. As
CuSO4 is an electrolyte, it splits into Cu+ (cation) and SO4 − (anion) ions and move freely in
the solution. When I immerse two pencils in that solution, the Cu+ ions (cation) will be
attracted towards cathode which is the electrode connected to the negative terminal of the
battery. On reaching on the cathode, each Cu+ ion will take electrons from it and becomes
neutral copper atoms.

The negative cathode reaction with graphite electrodes

The negative cathode electrode attracts Cu2+ ions (from copper sulphate) and H+ ions (from
water). Only the copper ion is discharged, being reduced to copper metal. The less reactive
a metal, the more readily its ion is reduced on the electrode surface, copper is below copper
in the reactivity series. A brown copper deposit forms as the positive copper ions are
attracted to the negative electrode (cathode)
At the cathode: A deposit of copper forms on the cathode; which were looks like powdery
and uneven.

Cathode reaction: Cu2+(aq) + 2e- → Cu(s)

The positive copper ion is reduced by electron gain. The traces of hydrogen ions are not
discharged, so you not see any gas bubbles collecting on the negative cathode electrode.
The blue colour fades as more and more copper is deposited, depleting the concentration of
the blue copper ion Cu2+ ions in solution.

The positive anode reaction with graphite electrodes

Oxygen gas is formed at the positive electrode, an oxidation reaction (electron loss). The
negative sulphate ions (SO42-) or the traces of hydroxide ions (OH– from water) are
attracted to the positive electrode. But the sulphate ion is too stable and nothing happens.
Instead either hydroxide ions or water molecules are discharged and oxidised to form
oxygen.

(i) 4OH–(aq) – 4e– ===> 2H2O(l) + O2(g)

The negative hydroxide ion is oxidised by electron loss

(ii) 2H2O(l) – 4e– ===> 4H+(aq) + O2(g)

The water molecule is oxidised by electron loss.

CONCLUSION:

The conclusion of the electrolysis of water is that hydrogen gas is produced at the cathode,
whereas oxygen gas is produced at the anode. Other than that, as CuSO4 is an electrolyte, it
splits into Cu+ (cation) and SO4 − (anion) ions and move freely in the solution. So it can be
concluded that, during electrolysis of copper sulphate with graphite electrodes, copper is
deposited on cathode and same amount of copper is removed from anode.

RECOMMENDATIONS:

It is important in this practical activity to use appropriate apparatus and methods. This
includes the safe use and careful handling of substances. Evaluate the hazards and the
precautions needed to reduce the risk of harm.

QUESTIONS:

A. Electrolysis of water
(a) What is an electrolyte?

substance that conducts electric current as a result of a dissociation into positively and
negatively charged particles called ions, which migrate toward and ordinarily are discharged
at the negative and positive terminals (cathode and anode) of an electric circuit,
respectively. The most familiar electrolytes are acids, bases, and salts, which ionize when
dissolved in such solvents as water or alcohol. Many salts, such as sodium chloride, behave
as electrolytes when melted in the absence of any solvent; and some, such as silver iodide,
are electrolytes even in the solid state.

(b) What is the function of NaCl in the electrolysis of water?

Electrolysis of an aqueous solution of table salt (NaCl, or sodium chloride) produces aqueous
sodium hydroxide and chlorine, although usually only in minute amounts. NaCl (aq) can be
reliably electrolysed to produce hydrogen.

B. Electrolysis of Copper (II) sulphate.

(a) Why the graphite use as the electrode?

Graphite rods are used as electrodes in electrolysis because graphite's structure enables it
to be an excellent conductor. The high number of delocalized electrons allows electricity to
pass through graphite rapidly. Graphite also has a very high melting point, enabling it to be
used to conduct electricity in high temperature reactions without changing state.

(b) State OTHER uses of electrolysis in industry.

1. Forensics

Electrolysis is mainly used in forensics when developing fingerprints. According to the

Journal of Forensic Identification, electrolysis is best used for 5 minutes in 1 mL HCI solution
using sebaceous oil as a matrix. This is to enhance the image of fingerprints and make it
more visible.

2. Water

Electrolysis can be applied in various ways within the water industry, but is used mostly in
the treatment of water. For example, wastewater is treated with electrolysis to be made
into water without waste. In this process, the salinity is decreased and waste products are
removed.

3. Oil and petroleum

Electrolysis is used in the oil industry for purification of oil. An example that accomplishes
this is removing the sulfur from liquid hydrocarbon oils by subjecting a mixture of the oil and
an electrolyte to a direct current field at a relatively high current and low voltage.

4. Hazardous waste and management

Electrolysis can also be used when managing waste of landfills and other waste containment
areas. Electrolysis is mainly used when dealing with waste streams of heavy metals, ions
from aqueous solutions, and copper recovery. As such, electrolysis is used for separation of
positively/negatively charged materials by application of electric current.

5. Preservations

Finally, electrolysis is often used in the preservation of historical artifacts. One notable
example in using electrolysis for the preservation of artifacts is using it to clean ancient
metal objects. In this case, it is known as electrolytic reduction, where electrolysis is used to
eliminate the corrosion off of ancient metal objects.

REFERENCES:

1. Electrical4U, October 23, 2020, principle of electrolysis of copper II sulphate

electrolyte retrieved from, https://www.electrical4u.com/principle-of-electrolysis-of-
copper-sulfate-electrolyte//
2. J.K Dicks, October 22, 2014, electrolysis of water, retrieved from,
https://pubs.acs.org/doi/10.1021/ed400757m
3. Puja Mondal, 30 November, 1995, electrolysis: definition and uses retrieved from
https://www.yourarticlelibrary.com/science/electrolysis-definition-and-uses-
explained-with-diagram/31733