Electrochemical Cell Lab
Purpose: To build a battery using an electrochemical cell
Materials: CuSO4 (aq) , ZnSO4 (aq) , Cuo Metal, Zno metal, and assorted other metals,
voltmeters and wires.
Procedure:
1) Set up the electrochemical cell with the porous cup in side a 400 ml beaker as described
in class
2) Using Table J on the old Periodic Table (See photocopy), determine which metal will be
a) reduced/oxidized (GER/LEO)
b) anode/cathode (An Ox/FAT Red Cat)
c) positive/negative pole (attract /supply electrons)
3) Connect the electrodes to the voltmeter accordingly
4) Record your results. Make special note to which metal is in which solution and the pole it
is connected to.
5) Reverse the electrodes and note any changes in results.
6) Try other metals as the electrodes and compare the results
*** The group with the highest voltage witnessed by me will win a prize***
Questions:
1) Draw your original setup. LABEL EVERYTHING.
2) Write out and label the half reactions.
3) Is this reaction spontaneous? Explain?
4) Our class is going on a field trip across the continental United States. Half way across
the Midwestern desert states, the bus breaks stops. Joe Gambino has incorrectly
calculated our fuel economy…imagine that!?! (problem with a decimal place or something).
Fearful that we may die in the daytime desert heat and freeze at night…Riley Diebold and
Enda Dunbar start to push the bus through the desert on their own but tire after 25 miles
(they didn’t want to be late for class tomorrow… and their lab partner Laurel Haitoff may
worry). There has to be some way to summon help. No other vehicles are around because
we took a shortcut recommended by Dan Quarto. Our cell phone batteries are dead. The
must be some way to use our leftover Gatorade to obtain enough voltage to use the phone.
….HHHEEeeeelllppppp.