Conventional electrolytic
cells are usually cumbersome and simulated with fragile open ended glass wares
such as beakers, tubes, troughs or tanks which are prone to interference and
contamination. Electrolytic cell was designed by allotting dimensions for its length:
12.0 cm, breadth: 6.0 cm and height: 8.0 cm to the cell; its casing for 9.0 V
power source was allotted 2.5 cm length, 2.5 cm breadth and 2.5 cm height;
bores for dispensing and draining out spent (used) electrolyte and those for
fixing electrodes were allotted 1.2 cm diameter; it was also designed to have
an innovated switch and electrodes storage facility (compartment) of 7.0 cm length,
2.5 cm breadth and 2.5 cm height with ammeter separately fixed at the left edge
of the cell’s electrolytes compartment. Perspex was used to construct a compact,
durable and portable unit of electrolytic cell. Capacity of the cell was
determined to be 500 cm3. Compactability tests show
that the designed and constructed electrolytic cell is a compact unit.
Conventional and the compact
(constructed) electrolytic cells were separately used to
perform electrogravimetry (electrolysis) 25.0 cm3 aliquot at 0.2 A
for 10, 20, 30, 40, 50 and 60 mins. Relationship between mass (g) of
electroplated Cu and time (10 to
60 mins) taken to electrolyze
Cu in 25 cm3 aliquot was determined where conventional electrolytic
cell electroplated 0.02 g to 0.22 g of Cu, compact electrolytic cell
electroplated 0.03 g to 0.23 g of Cu and theoretically calculated mass of
electroplated Cu in 25 cm3 aliquot was 0.04 g to 0.24 g respectively.
Statistical comparison of the two set of systems at 95.0% percent confidence
level indicated a significant difference in their performances. However at
99.0% - 99.9% confidence level the comparison showed that there is no
significant difference in their performances. The results of this study
buttress that Perspex is a good material for constructing compact, durable and
portable electrolytic cells. It also showed that the constructed electrolytic
cell is highly a sensitive tool as revealed by its ability to electroplate
higher mass of electroplated copper than the conventional cell; that mass of
electroplated copper and time of electrolysis have a positive correlation and
statistical analysis revealed that the two sets of methods do not agree
significantly with each other at 95.00% confidence level but they agree
significantly with each other beyond this.
Cite this paper
Musa, D. E. , Sha’Ato, R. , Eneji, I. S. and Itodo, A. U. (2018). Electrogravimetric Determination of Copper Using a Constructed Compact Electrolytic Cell. Open Access Library Journal, 5, e4446. doi: http://dx.doi.org/10.4236/oalib.1104446.
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