F. 5 I.S.

Expt (1)

F. 5 Integrated Science Practical Experiment 1 : Make a simple (Voltaic) cell Date : _______________________

Name : page 1 ___________________ Class : ______ ( )

Aim To understand the workings of a chemical cell. Background Volta used a pile of zinc (Zn) and silver (Ag) discs separated by paper and soaked in salt solution and made the first chemical cell. When he touched the top and bottom discs at the same time, he received an electric shock. Further experiments showed that similar results could be obtained using other metal pairs and various ionic solution or acid solutions. In this activity, you will use several set-ups to investigate the workings of a chemical cell. Part 1 Making a fruit cell Several zinc strips and copper strips 1 voltmeter

Apparatus & material Several lemons Several small beakers or cups

Safety Precautions Be careful when handling the sharp edges of the metal strips. Procedures 1. Cut a lemon in half. Put one half of the lemon on top of a small beaker or cup so that it rests steadily without falling into the beaker. a. Insert two zinc strips into the lemon. Connect the zinc strips to a voltmeter with electric wires. Record the voltage produced. b. Repeat Step (a) using two copper strips instead of zinc strips. c. Repeat Step (a) using one zinc strip and one copper strip instead of two zinc strips (Fig. 1). (If a negative voltmeter.) voltage is recorded, the metals swap and the the connections between

Fig. 1

F. 5 I.S. Expt (1) 2. Prepare another zinc/copper lemon cell and connect it in series to the one prepared in Step 1 (Fig. 2) so that the whole setup forms a complete circuit. Record the voltage produced.

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Copper strip
3. Prepare a third zinc/copper lemon cell and continue the series circuit from Step 2 (Fig. 3) so that the whole setup forms a complete circuit. Record the voltage produced.

Zinc strip

Copper strip

Zinc strip

Results and discussion 1. Tabulate the results. Zinc/Zinc pair Voltage (V) No. of Zinc/Copper lemon cell Voltage (V) 2. 1 Zinc/Copper pair 2 3 Copper/Copper pair

What do you notice about the voltage measured when strips of the same metal are inserted into the lemon?

3.

Explain why a voltage can be produced when a zinc strip and a copper strip are inserted into a halved lemon (Hint: lemon juice contains citric acid). What is the relationship between the number of zinc/copper lemon cells used and the voltage measured?

4.

5.

Predict whether a voltage is produced if a pair of copper and zinc strips are inserted or immersed in the following: Voltage is produced (Yes/No) Alcohol Vinegar Distilled water

F. 5 I.S. Expt (1) Conclusion What conclusion can be drawn from this experiment?

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Part 2 1. a.

Making a simple electrochemical cell with metal strips Place a copper strip onto a microscopic slide. b. Soak a piece of filter paper in potassium nitrate solution and place it on the copper strip. c. Connect the copper strip to the positive terminal of the voltmeter.

2.

Connect the magnesium ribbon to the negative terminal of the voltmeter and place the magnesium ribbon on the wet filter paper.

3.

Press the magnesium ribbon firmly and

record the highest voltage reading on the voltmeter.

This is the voltage of the chemical cell made from the two metals magnesium and copper (i.e. the metal couple Mg / Cu) 4. Repeat steps (2) and (3), replacing magnesium ribbon with iron, zinc, copper and silver in turn.

Misroscopic slide

Part 3 1. 2. 3. 4.

To make a cell by two metal strips and their salt solutions

Place ~ 20 cm3 ZnSO4(aq) in a small beaker and ~ 20 cm3 CuSO4(aq) into another small beaker. In the ZnSO4(aq), place a clean strip of zinc and in the CuSO4(aq), a clean strip of copper. Connect the zinc strip to the negative terminal of the voltmeter and copper strip to the positive terminal of the voltmeter. The two half cells are connected with a filter paper strip soaked in KNO3(aq). Make sure that the ends of the filter paper are immersed in the two salt solutions.

F. 5 I.S. Expt (1)

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5. 6. 7.

Record the voltmeter reading.

Remove the Zn / Zn2+ half cell and the salt bridge from the chemical cell. Rinse the beaker thoroughly with tap water and deionized water. Add ~ 20 cm3 of AgNO3(aq) to the beaker. Place the small silver wire into the solution. Connect the silver wire to the negative terminal of the voltmeter. Replace the Zn / Zn2+ half cell with a Ag / Ag+ half cell.

8. 9.

Connect the Ag / Ag+ half cell & the Cu / Cu2+ half cell with a freshly prepared salt bridge.

Record

the voltmeter reading.

Results
Metal couple in cell Mg / Cu Fe / Cu Zn / Cu Cu / Cu Ag / Cu Part A : Voltage of cell (V) Part B : Voltage in cell (V)