Department of Chemistry
The objectives of this experiment are a) to assemble electrochemical half-cells and use them to measure standard potentials, b) explore the effect of metal-ion concentration on the observed potential of an electrochemical cell, and c) build a battery using the materials provided in the lab.
In this experiment, you will assemble several electrochemical half-cells, using metal electrodes and their corresponding metal-ion solutions. Using a Ag/AgCl reference electrode and voltmeter, you will measure the standard potentials of these half-cells and compare your values to those provided in the table of Standard Reduction Potentials (Zumdahl Table 11.1).
In the second part of this lab, you will work with a “concentration cell” in which the metals for both of the electrodes in the cell are the same, but the metal-ion solutions surrounding the electrodes will have different concentrations of the corresponding ion. Based on what you observe, and which solutions and electrodes you have available to you in the lab, you will prepare a cell that has an observed voltage of exactly 0.50 V.
Finally, you will assemble a battery by connecting multiple electrochemical cells in series, such that the overall voltage is greater than 1.7 V.