TheCatalystsoftheElectrolysisofWater

SubmittedBy:SteveBenitezCastilloandNicholasGuida
SubmittedTo:Mr.Romano
Course:SCH-4UP
SubmittedOn:January20th,2017

Abstract:
The experiment thatwasconductedwastheelectrolysisofwater.Thisistheprocessof
decomposing water into hydrogen gas and oxygen gas by running an electrical current
through it. The experiment was conducted in order to determine which element would
give the most efficient electrode pair and why when producing hydrogen gas. Five
electrode pairs were tested: nickel, copper, aluminium, carbon, and iron in a solution of
tap water and kosher salt. The electrode that was deemed to be most efficient would
take the least amount oftimetodisplace5mLofwaterinatesttubewiththeproduced
hydrogen gas. Initially, after conducting the experiment in tapwater,itwasthoughtthat
nickel was the most efficient electrode as it took 215s, next was aluminium with 260s,
after that carbon at 291s, after that copper at 320s, and finally iron was deemed least
efficient at 360s. These results did not consider the difference in surface area of the
electrodes. Afterwards the times were calculated as though the electrodes had the
same surface area as the nickel electrodes. copper would then be themostefficientat
185s, with nickel following at 215s, aluminium at283s, carbonat301s,andfinallyiron
at 360s. This shows that surface area plays a big factor when it comes to the
electrolysis of water. Finally, there was a comparison between types of water to see if
electrolytes in the water also played a factor. The same nickel trial was conducted ina
solution of distilled water and kosher salt and yielded a time of 411s to displace the
water with hydrogen gas as opposed to the experiment in the tap water solution only
taking 215s. Since tap water contained more electrolytes than the purer distilledwater,
it was concluded that electrolytes did play a role in the times it took to produce
hydrogen.

Purpose:
Thepurposeofthisexperimentistofindoutwhichpairofelectrodeswouldbemost
efficientatproducinghydrogenwhenelectrolysingwaterandwhythisisso.

Hypothesis:
Sinceplatinumisoneofthemostefficientelectrodeintheelectrolyzationwater,nickel
willbethenextbestalternativebecauseitispartofthesamegroup.Sincenickelisin
thesamegroupasplatinumitshouldsharesomeofthepropertiesthatplatinumhas
thatmakesitagoodelectrodesuchas:higherosionresistance,similarelectrical
conductivity,similarhardness,etc.

History:
Thefirstglanceofwaterelectrolysishappenedin1800,whenWilliamNicholsonand
AnthonyCarlisleusedavoltaicpile,inventedbyAlessandroVoltanotmuchearlier.
MichaelFaradaypublishedFaraday'slawsofelectrolysisin1834whichincluded
variousequationsrelatingtoelectrolysis.TheGrammemachineinventedin1869by
ZnobeGrammemadethisprocessmuchmoreefficient.Fromthenon,electrolysisof
waterbecameagreatwayofproducinghydrogengas.The1920sto1970screateda
demandforelectrolysis,becauseitalsohelpedproduceammonia.Presentday
advancementsincludecombiningthephotovoltaiceffectandwaterhydrolysistoagain
increasetheefficiency.

Materials:
Container
Testtubewith5mLmeasurements
2NickelElectrodes
2CarbonElectrodes
2AluminiumElectrodes
2IronElectrodes
2CopperElectrodes
PowerSupplyUnit
2AlligatorClamps
1Multimeter
5gofKosherSaltpertrial
3LofTapWater
550mLofdistilledwater
Wirecutters
Pipette
Calipers
Wellventilatedarea

Procedure(Conductinawellventilatedarea):
1. Usingwirecutters,cuttheelectrodestoasizethatfitswithinthetesttube.
2. Usingsandpaper,sandtheelectrodestoexposetherawelement.
3. Measurethedimensionsofeachelectrodeusingarulerorcalipers,andcalculate
thesurfaceareaofeachelectrode.
4. Fillthecontainerwith550mLoflukewarmtapwater,addingin5gofkoshersalt
andmixing.
5. Fillthetesttubeupwiththewaterfromthesamecontaineroncethesalt
dissolves.
6. Invertthetesttubeintothecontainerquickly,minimizingthewaterthatescapes.
 7. Usingapipette,blowairintothetesttubefromunderneathtobringthewater
leveldowntothe5mLmark.Ifthewaterlevelisbelowthe5mLmark,repeat
steps5-6.
8. Ensurethepowersupplyisunpluggedandoffandconnecttherespective
alligatorclips.
9. Placetheelectrodesinthealligatorclips.
10. Putthenegative(-)electrodeintotheinvertedtesttube.Keepasmuchofthe
alligatorclipawayfromunderthetesttubesholetoensurethebubblesit
createsdoesnotcontributetothemeasurement.
11. Placethepositive(+)electrodeelsewhereinthecontainer,2-inchesawayfrom
thenegative(-)electrode.Rememberthisplacementasitwillberepeatedfor
eachelementtested.
12. Ensuretherearenohazardsneartheworkspace(spilledwater)andnobodyis
touchinganypartoftheapparatus.Proceedwithcautionandpluginandturn
onthePSU.
13. Begintimingandstoponcethewaterlevelreachesthe10mLmarkonthetest
tube.Recordthistime.
14. CarefullypoweroffthePSUandunplugit.OnceensuringthePSUisprovidingno
electricity,disassembletheapparatus.Becautiousofchlorinegasproducedby
theexperimentwhengoingnearit.
15. Repeatsteps4-15,usingadifferentelementfortheelectrodesinStep9untilall
electrodeshavebeentested.

DataCollected:
Table1:Thetimethatittookanelementtodisplace5mLofwaterwithhydrogengas.(notconsidering
surfacearea)
Element Time(s)tofill5mLgas Chart1

Nickel 215

Aluminium 260

Carbon 291

Copper 320

Iron 360

Table2:Themeasurementsandsurfaceareasofanelectrodefromeachelectrodepair.

Table3:Thetimeitwouldtakeeachelectrodepairiftheyallhadthesamesurfaceareaasnickel(using
kastheratiooftheelectrodessurfaceareatonickels)
Time(s)to
Element fill5mLgas K Time*K Chart2

0.576706583
Copper 320 1 185

Nickel 215 1 215

Aluminium 260 1.089017627 283

Carbon 291 1.032809128 301

0.980181911
Iron 360 1 353

Table3:Atablecomparingthemostconductiveelementstothebestperforming.Thetop3performing
elementsmatchthebestconductors,howevercarbonsurprisinglysurpassesiron.
ElementBest BestPerformingElement
Conductororder ElectricalConductivities Order ElementsTime
Copper 0.596106/cm Copper 320
Aluminum 0.377106/cm Nickel 215

Nickel 0.143106/cm Aluminium 283

Iron 0.0993106/cm Carbon 301
Carbon 0.00061106/cm Iron 353

Chart3:Comparingthetimeittooknickelelectrodestodisplace5mLofwaterwithH2intapwaterand
distilledwater.Thesamevolumeandsaltquantitywasusedinbothtrials.



Distilledwatertooksignificantlylongerdueto
ithavingfewermineralsandimpurities,thus
makingitlessconductive.Asshowninthe
data,conductivityplaysabigroleinthe
efficiencyofelectrolysis.


Discussion/Analysis:
Afterconductingtheexperimentitwasdeterminedthatnickelinregulartap
waterwouldbethemostefficientelectrodetousewhenconductinganelectrolysisof
water.Thenextmostefficientelectrodeswereasfollows(mosttoleastefficient):
aluminium,carbon,copper,andiron.However,afterafewcalculations,itwas
determinedthatcopperwouldbethemostefficientelectrode.Thenextmostefficient
electrodeswouldbe:nickel,aluminum,carbon,andiron.

Therearemanyfactorsthatcomeintoplaywhenacquiringanefficientelectrode.
Surfaceareaisamajorfactorasthegreaterthesurfaceareathemoreefficientan
electrodewouldbe.Thisisbecauseassurfaceareaincreases,sodoesthecurrent
runningthroughtheelectrode.Inelectrolysis,waterdecomposesintohydrogenand
oxygengasbypassingelectricalcurrentthroughwater.Thereforethemoreelectrical
currentbeingpassedthroughthewater,themoreefficientanelectrodewouldbe.When
testingthedifferentelectrodesitcouldbenotedthattheywerealldifferentsizes.Nickel
hadatotalsurfaceareaof9.121cm3whereascopperonlyhadasurfaceareaof5.26
cm3.Thefollowingprocesswasusedtodeterminethenewtimefor5mLofwatertobe
displacedbythehydrogengasproducedbyanelectrodeiftheelectrodewasthesame
surfaceareaasthenickelelectrode:
k = Surf ace Area Surf ace AreaN ickel
Wherekistheratiobetweenthesurfaceareaoftheelectrodetothesurfacearea
ofnickel.Nickelssurfaceareawaspickedsimplybecauseitwasthebest
performing,hadthemostconsistentsurfacearea(smoothest)anddidnoterode
away(likeAluminium).
Forexample,afteradjustingthetimeofcoppertomatchthatofnickels(hadithadthe
samesurfacearea),itwoulddisplacethewaterin184.5secondsandnickelwould
remainat215seconds.

Electricalconductivityisanotherfactorthatcouldaffecttheresultsofthe
experimentconducted.Itcanbenotedthatthebestelectricalconductorsweresimilar
tothetop-3performersinourexperiment.Theabilitytoresistcorrosionisanother
factorthatcomesintoplaywhenlookingforefficiencyinelectrodes,forexample
carbonversusiron(seeFAQ).

Therefore,thefactorsthataffectefficiencyareconductivity,resistanceto
corrosion/oxidation,andsurfacearea.Platinumisgreatinalltheseareas,whichiswhy
ititthemostusedelectrodeforthisexperiment.

FAQ:
Whywerecopper,nickelandaluminiumthebestperformers?
These3elementsperformedthebestlikelybecausetheywerethemostconductive.
RefertoTable3.

Whyiscarbonabetterelectrodethaniron?
Thegraphiterodsmoleculestructuremadeitamuchrougherandporousmaterialthan
theironnail,especiallyforthetopandbottomofthecarbonrod.Anotherreasonisthe
factthattheironelectrodescorroded,whichwouldreducetheirefficiencyovertime.
Carbondidnothavethisproblem.

Whyisthisexperimentuseful?
Theexperimentwasusefulastheelectrolysisofwatercreateshydrogen.Hydrogenis
currentlybeingexperimentedwithasanalternativetooilasafuelsourceasitis
environmentallyfriendlysinceitdoesnotproduceanyairpollutants.Hydrogengas,
whenusedininternalcombustionenginesonlyproducesnitrogenoxides.Ifhydrogen
couldbeproducedquicklyandefficientlythroughelectrolysis,thefutureoffuelscould
behydrogen.

Whydidthewaterturnyellowaftertheexperiment?
Whenusingsalt(NaCl)asanelectrolyte,Na+andCl-ionssplitupwhichhelpcarrythe
current.Initially,itwasthoughttobecausedbyChlorinegas(Cl2)stuckinthetesttube
withthehydrogenbeingreleasedwhenthewaterwithinthetesttubewasreleasedinto
thecontainer.ThiswasconfusingbecauseCl-shouldgotothepositiveelectrode,not
thenegativewherethehydrogengaswas.
Afterresearching,itwasconcludedthattheCl-ionsactuallysticktothepositive
electrodeandstaythere.Whenthetrialwasconcludedandthepowerswitchedoff,
therewasnolongerapositiveelectrodefortheCl-ionstostickto,andsotheydissipate
outintothewatermakingtheyellowcolourlikeitwouldwithCl2.

Thepurposewastofindgoodelectrodes,sowhatotherelementsworkwell?
Otherelementsthatareconductive,haveagoodsurfaceareaandresistoxidation.For
example,goldisagreatconductorandresistsoxidation.Silverwouldnotbegood,
however.Itsveryconductivebutgetsoxidizedeasily.TungstenandZinccouldbegood
choices.Stainlesssteelcouldbeagoodchoiceforlong-runningelectrolysis.Its
conductivityisntgreatbutitwillresistoxidationreallywell.

Conclusion:
Theexperimentofelectrolysisofwaterwasconducted,whichdecomposesH2O
intoH2andO2,forthepurposeoffindingwhatelectrodematerialsarebestandwhy,to
ultimatelybeabletopredictothergoodelectrodematerials.The5materials(elemental)
werenickel,copper,aluminium,carbon,andironwithin550mLoflukewarmtapwater
and5gofkoshersaltdissolvedinit.Thebasicideaoftheprocedurewastoputthe
electrodesonboththepositiveandnegativealligatorclips,submergetheminwater
thenputthenegativeelectrodeinsidethetesttubetocapturetheH2,andpoweronthe
PSU.SeeProcedureforamorein-depthdescription.Theefficiencywasmeasuredby
thetimeittookfortheH2producedtodisplace5mLofthewater,thenaccountingfor
surfacearea.Surfaceareawasaccountedforbecausegreatersurfaceareasallowfor
greatercurrent,whichinturnallowsmorewatermoleculestobesplit.
Nickelelectrodestook215s,aluminium260s,carbon291s,copper320s,andiron
360s.However,onceaccountingforsurfaceareaoftheelectrodes(multiplyingthetime
takenbyk,whichisthesurfaceareaoftheelectrodedividedbythatofnickels,togeta
fairbaseline),coppercameoutontopwithanestimated185s,thennickelat215s,
aluminiumat283s,carbonat301s,andironat353s.
Thetop3elementslineupwiththebestconductorsoftheelementstested,itis
suspectedthisiswhytheyperformedthebest.Carbonwasthenextbestdespitebeing
lessconductivethaniron,likelyduetothefactthatcarbon(graphiterod)hadmore
surfaceareaduetoitsstructureanddidnotcorrodeliketheirondid.
Distilledwaterwasalsotestedtoobservehowitwouldaffecttheefficiency.
Nickelelectrodeswereusedwhichtook411scomparedto215sintapwater,likelydue
totheextramineralsthatwouldactaselectrolytesthatthetapwatercontained,giving
itbetterconductivity.
Aftercomparingtheseresultstothepropertiesoftheelements,thethreemost
importantpropertiestoconsiderareconductivity,surfacearea(structureofmaterial),
andresistancetooxidation/corrosion.
Itwasalsodiscoveredthroughresearchthatthereasonthewaterturnsyellow
whenconcludingthetrialswasbecauseCl-ionsthatcoatedthepositiveelectrode
wouldbeallowedtospreadandcreatetheyyellowCl2colourwhenthePSUpowersoff.
Allinall,usingourresultsandresearch,platinumorgoldwouldalsobeagreat
electrodetouse,alongwithTungstenandZinc.Avoidsilverduetoitstendencyto
oxidize,andusestainlesssteelasacheapalternativeforlong-runningtrials.

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