Determining the Mass of Nickel Plated Out of a Ni(NO₃)₂ Solution During Electrolysis

Understanding Electrolysis Process

Electrolysis is a process where an electric current is passed through an electrolyte to trigger a non-spontaneous chemical reaction. In this case, a current of 4.35 A is passed through a Ni(NO₃)₂ solution for 1.60 hours.

Calculating the Total Charge Passed

First, we need to determine the total charge passed through the solution by multiplying the current and time:

Current (I) = 4.35 A

Time (t) = 1.60 hours = 1.60 × 3600 seconds = 5760 seconds

Total charge (Q) = Current (I) × Time (t) = 4.35 A × 5760 s = 25056 C

Number of Moles of Electrons Transferred

The next step is to find the number of moles of electrons transferred during the electrolysis:

Total charge (Q) = 25056 C

Faraday's constant (F) = 96485 C/mol

Number of moles of electrons (n) = Q / F = 25056 C / 96485 C/mol ≈ 0.2596 mol

Calculating the Moles of Nickel Deposited

Since nickel has a valency of +2, it requires 2 moles of electrons to deposit 1 mole of nickel:

Moles of nickel (Ni) = Moles of electrons (n) / 2 = 0.2596 mol / 2 = 0.1298 mol

Finding the Mass of Nickel Plated Out

Finally, we can calculate the mass of nickel plated out during the electrolysis:

Molar mass of nickel = 58.69 g/mol

Mass of nickel = Moles of nickel × Molar mass of nickel = 0.1298 mol × 58.69 g/mol ≈ 7.61 grams

Therefore, the mass of nickel plated out of the Ni(NO₃)₂ solution during electrolysis is approximately 7.61 grams.