Quickcard Class-VIII (Science) Chapter-14 Chemical Effects of Electric Current

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Class-VIII (Science)
Chapter-14 Chemical effects of electric current
Points to remember:
 The flow of electrons in any material is termed as an electric current.
Flow of Electrons in the Matter

 Good Conductors of Electricity:
The materials which allow the current to pass through them are known as good
conductors. Examples are copper, aluminium etc.
 Poor Conductors of Electricity:

The materials which do not allow the current to pass through them, are known as
poor conductors. They are also called as insulator. Examples are glass, plastic, etc.
 Chemical Effects of Electric Current: The passage of an electric current through a
conducting solution causes the chemical reaction. The resulting effects are called
chemical effects of current.
Chemical effects include:
 formation of gas bubbles at electrodes

 deposition of metals at electrodes
 Changes in solution colour
Electrical conductivity is a measure of the ability of a substance to allow the flow of
an electric current. Among solids metals and graphite are good conductors
of electricity which have high electrical conductivity. Some liquids are also good
conductors.
‘A material may have a good conductivity irrespective of whether it is a solid, liquid or
gas'.
 A liquid that is good conductor of electric current is called an electrolyte. Eg- Tap
water, salt solution, milk, lemon juice, etc.
 A liquid which is incapable of conducting electricity is called a non-electrolyte. For eg-
distilled water, sugar solution, oil, honey, etc.
 The electrodes, electrolyte and the battery together form the

electrochemical/electrolytic cell.
 Why LED bulbs are more suitable for testing the electrical conductivity of
liquids?
The electric current often causes heating effect due to which the filament of the
bulb gets heated up and glows.
However, some liquids are capable of conducting electricity but they are weak
conductors of electricity. Hence current passes through them but it is not that
strong enough to heat up the filament. As a result, the filament would not light
up in the case of such liquids.
However, the LED bulbs can detect the flow of even a small amount of electric
current as well. Hence, LED bulbs are suitable for testing the electrical
conductivity of liquids.
 Electrolysis
The effect in which components of a compound get split due to passing an electric
current through it is called electrolysis .
 Electrical conductivity of liquids:
Conduction of liquids depends on the ability of liquids to form ions. Some liquids such as oil
or alcohol do not form ions and do not conduct electricity. Vinegar is mostly water with a
small amount of acetic acid in it. The acetic acid separates into ions in water. So its solution
conducts electricity. Conduction of tap water depends on its hardness.
 Acids and bases are chemical substances that dissociate to form ions when dissolved
in a solution. They are a good conductor of electricity because of the presence of the
ions.
 Salts when dissolved in water also conduct as they release positive/negatively charged
ions.
 Electrical conductivity of water:
 Distilled water is a bad conductor of electricity because of the absence of dissolved
salts and minerals.
 Water starts conducting when acids, bases or salts are dissolved that releases ions,
which conduct when a potential difference is applied.
Applications of chemical effects of electric current
Electroplating
 Electroplating is a process in which layer of metal is deposited on another
material with the help of electricity.
 Electroplating is used in many industries for depositing a layer of metal with
desired characteristics on another metal.
 Different metals used for electroplating are Nickel, Copper, Gold Silver, Tin,
Brass, Zinc, Chromium and Platinum.
Process of electroplating
 In order to conduct electroplating right electrodes and electrolytes must be
chosen so that metal can deposit over a material.
 For instance, if we want to deposit copper on a material we need an electrolyte
that contains copper in it. Similarly, if we need gold on a material we need an
electrolyte that contains gold in it.
 Also, we should make sure that the electrode that we are choosing is
completely clean.
 The electrodes used are made up of different materials. One of the electrodes is
of the same metal of which the electrolyte solution is. The second electrode needs
to be the material on which we want to coat another metal.
 For instance, in case we want to plate copper upon brass, one electrode should
be of Copper and the other electrode should be of Brass and the electrolyte solution
should be any salt which contains copper in it, for example, copper sulphate
solution. Consider the diagram given below that describes the process of
electroplating of copper.
Figure 6 Electroplating of copper on brass

 Out of these two electrodes the copper electrode acts as the anode (positive
electrode) and brass electrode acts as the cathode (negative electrode).
 When electricity is passed through the solution, the copper sulphate breaks
down into its ions.
 The copper ions (they have a positive charge) get attracted by the brass
electrode while the Sulphur ions being negatively charged move towards the copper
electrode.
 As a result, copper starts depositing on the brass electrode.
 The process of electroplating takes some time to complete.
 The amount of time that it will take depends upon the strength of the current
that is being passed through the circuit and also upon the concentration of the
electrolyte.
 As these two are increased the speed of the electroplating process also
increases.

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Chapter-14 Chemical effects of electric current

 The flow of electrons in any material is termed as an electric current.

Flow of Electrons in the Matter

 Poor Conductors of Electricity:

 formation of gas bubbles at electrodes

 The electrodes, electrolyte and the battery together form the

Figure 6 Electroplating of copper on brass

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