Question

Monica performed Part B of Experiment VOL and monitored the current every two minutes as instructed in Step 20. She noticed throughout the experiment the current displayed on the voltmeter drifted above and below the current she initially set, so every two minutes she adjusted the power supply to account for this "current drift." She uses the target current to calculate the moles of metals reduced or oxidized at the electrodes. Then determines the atomic masses of her assigned electrodes using the mass gained/lost at the electrodes and calculated moles of metal.

Answer 1

Monica is performing an experiment in Chemistry where she monitors and adjusts the current in an electrolytic cell. She uses the current to calculate moles of metals and determine atomic masses.

Step-by-step explanation:

Monica is conducting an experiment in Chemistry.

She is monitoring the current in an electrolytic cell every two minutes and adjusting the power supply to account for the current drift.

She uses the target current to calculate the moles of metals reduced or oxidized at the electrodes and determines the atomic masses of her assigned electrodes based on the mass gained or lost at the electrodes and the calculated moles of metal.

Answer 2

The question asks about the calculation of atomic masses from mass changes at electrodes in an electrochemical cell by monitoring and adjusting the current, which entails converting current into moles of electrons and considering the stoichiometry of the metallic reduction or oxidation.

Step-by-step explanation:

The question revolves around an electrochemical experiment Monica is performing, which involves monitoring and adjusting the current in an electrolytic cell to determine the atomic masses of metals based on the mass change at the electrodes. To calculate the moles of metals reduced or oxidized, Monica uses the steady current that she maintained throughout the experiment. The electron transfer in such electrochemical processes is directly related to the current passed through the electrolyte, as described by Faraday's laws of electrolysis.

Moreover, conversion of current into moles of electrons is essential to relate the electrical charge passed to the chemical changes occurring at the electrodes. A fundamental principle here is that the number of moles of electrons is proportional to the total electrical charge that passes through the cell, calculated by multiplying the current (I) by the time (t) the current is applied. It's also noted that different metals require different amounts of electrons to be reduced or oxidized - for instance, while one mole of electrons reduces one mole of silver to its metallic state, it would only reduce half a mole of copper ions to copper metal.