Electrode potentials – data

Below you will find some data from experiments carried out at SSERC to measure the potential differences generated by different pairs of metals using electrolytes of varying concentrations.

Electrolyte concentration 0.1 mol l-1

Electrolyte concentration 0.25 mol l-1

Electrolyte concentration 0.5 mol l-1

Electrolyte concentration 1.0 mol l-1

Effect of concentration 

The voltage produced with varying electrolyte concentration.

and

The effect on changing electrolyte

 All done using (Mg/Cu electrodes)

* No LiCl was available at the time. The reading is likely to be a little lower than would have been with the chloride. A comparison of Sodium chloride with sodium ethanoate showed voltages of 1.53 and 1.46 respectively

** The potassium iodide was slightly yellow so some of it had become iodine, lowering the concentration of iodide ions slightly.

Although the mechanism seems obscure, we suspect it has something to do with ion radius and mobility.