Defence Exam Notes: Electrochemistry

By Dhruv Kumar|Updated : June 19th, 2020

Electrochemistry is an important topic to prepare for Defence and all competitive exams. Many questions are asked from this topic in defence exams like NDA, CDS, CAPF, Air Force X & Y, etc. Here are the detailed notes of Electrochemistry to prepare for the examination

Definition of Electrochemistry.

Electrochemistry is defined as the branch of physical chemistry. This aims to define the relationship between electricity, which is a measurable quantitative phenomenon and identifiable chemical change. Here, electricity can be considered to be an outcome of a particular chemical formula or reaction or electricity may have been used for the creation of a chemical formula/compound. Thus, in summation, electrochemistry is a branch that deals with chemical change, with regards to electrical energy.

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Chemical reactions

It is the process whereby the chemical transformation of one set of chemical substances leads to another. They involve a change in the position of the electrons and yield in the creation of new products. These chemical reactions are often portrayed in the form of chemical equations, which ideally, must represent all the chemical products used, its method and of course, the final product.

History of electrochemistry- Its discovery and development

  • In the year 1663, Otto Van Guericke created the first electric generator. This was made by producing static electricity on applying friction in the machine. The ball could be operated by means of a crank. This entire model was often used on experiments with electricity.
  • In the mid-eighteenth Century, Scientist Charles Du Fay discovered two types of Static Electricity, by applying friction in the machine. He announced that electricity contained two types of fluids, which were both positive and negative.
  • In the late 18th Century, Coulomb (Charles-Augustin de Coulomb) developed the law of electrostatic attraction to investigate the law of electrical repulsions. Around the same time, an Italian anatomist Luigi Galvani established a bridge between chemical reactions and electricity, in a paper he had attempted to write.
  • In the 19th Century, William Nicholson and Johann Ritter successfully decomposed water into hydrogen and oxygen by electrolysis. Next, the process of electroplating was discovered.  It was observed that the amount of metal deposited and the amount of oxygen produced depended on the distance between the Electrodes.
  • This was also the periods that the Galvanic cell was discovered. It was in this period that a scientist- Hans Christian Oersted, discovered the magnetic effect of electric currents. Ampere then repeated Orstead’s experiment and formulated them in a mathematical manner.
  • The 19th Century, was all in all crucial for the field of electricity. In 1832, Michael Faraday’s experiments led him to state the laws of electrochemistry.
  • John Daniel invented a primary cell which solved the problem of polarization.

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Daniel Cell

  • Waltham Nearest developed the theory of electromotive forces of the Voltic cell in 1888.
  • In the 20th Century, various associations, such as the Electrochemical Society and the International Society of Electrochemistry was found.

Oxidation and Reduction

This is the electrochemical process involving the transfer from a molecule or an Ion changing its oxidation state. This reaction occurs through the application of an external voltage and through the release of chemical energy. The loss of electrons from an atom or a molecule is known as oxidation, and the gain of electrons is termed as reduction.

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Electrochemical Cells

A device that produces electric current from any energy released by a spontaneous redox reaction is called an electrochemical cell. Electrochemical cells consist of two conductive electrodes, the anode and the cathode. The anode is defined as the electrode where the oxidation occurs, and the cathode is the electrode where the reduction takes place. A galvanic cell is called a Daniell cell, when the electrodes are zinc and copper submerged in zinc sulphate and copper sulphate, respectively.

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There are two broad categories of electrochemical cells- Galvanic and Electrolytic. As discussed earlier, Galvanic cells derive their energy from spontaneous redox reactions, and thus, it not requires an external source, such as an AC power source.

An electrolytic cell is an electrochemical cell in which energy is taken from  an external power source to drive a normally spontaneous reaction, which is, apply a reverse voltage to a voltaic cell. Electrolytic cells can generally be seen during the charging phase of any of the rechargeable batteries. The best example of an electrolytic cell is the lithium-ion battery present in the smartphones. The electrodes of an electrolytic cell can be placed in a single compartment containing the molten electrolyte.

Applications of Electrochemistry

The application of electrochemistry is likely to increase because they are more likely to replace polluting situations nonpolluting electrochemical ones. One of the major applications of electrochemistry is metallurgy, where nearly all-important metals (with the exception of iron and Steel) are obtained through an arduous electrochemical process.

Electroplating -One of the major ways in which the resistance of objects can be increased is through electroplating. This prevents things such as corrosion. All major metal industries, especially the automobile industries, have methods in place for electroplating.

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By using the electrochemical process, scientists have altered and created the perfect transistors that permit the complexity of millions of electronic devices.

Batteries- The storage of electrochemical is affected via batteries. The electricity that needs to be stored is collected on the plates of the cell, and it converts substances on the plates to new substances having much bigger energy.

Biology- From blood clotting to the transfer of nerve impulses, Electrochemistry has vast uses in biology. The conversion of chemical energy of food into mechanical energy also takes place via a process of using electrochemistry, in a manner. Certain meters measure the amount of glucose in the blood through the redox potential. Electrochemistry also sees important applications in the food industry, like during packing of food articles, the analysis of food composition and finally, the determination of the freezing point of ice cream mixes.

Electrochemistry is used to enable the use of renewable energy conversion technologies. It is involved in the production of materials by refining the same.

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