Electrolysis

Overview

Objectives/Goals I wanted to see what would separate more hydrogen from salt water. Would a higher concentration of salt separate more, or would a higher voltage separate more. Methods/Materials How I went about this project was I set up a tub and filled it with 5000 mL of water at 47 degrees Celsius. I then added 5% salt concentration to the water. I put two graduated cylinders into the salt-water solution and filled them up to their top line. I would then put two electrodes attached to copper-wire in the cylinder and attach the wire to a 1.5-volt battery. I would allow the battery to be attached for a total of five minutes. After five minutes had passed I would observe how far the level of the water had dropped in the cylinder. I kept the first trial as a base trial, and I continued this process with a 10%, 15%, and 20% salt concentration at 1.5-volts. I tested a 5% concentration with 3-volts, 4.5-volts, and 6-volts. Results My results showed that the increase of voltage showed a significant increase of hydrogen separated. The amount of hydrogen separated during the voltage trials was much greater than the hydrogen separated during the concentration trials. Conclusions/Discussion My conclusion is that an increase of voltage will separate more hydrogen than an increase in concentration (of salt).

Competition history

• CSEF 2004 Chemistry · Entry S0518

Resources

• CSEF project summary ↗

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