Atoms And Electrolysis Experiment

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Background Research
Zap! Sizzle! A bolt of lightning strikes the ocean and sends electric current through the salt water, killing all marine life in the vicinity of the strike. The electric charges zooming through the water instantly electrocute all organisms near the surface. This phenomenon can be explained by understanding atomic particles, solutions and chemical reactions, the basics of electricity, electrolytes, and electrolysis and the electrochemical cells it occurs in.
All objects on Earth are made up of atoms. “Atoms are miniscule units that determine the properties of all matter” (Dobson, 2006, p. 104). An atom is the smallest division of an element that retains all of its properties. The nucleus is the central part of an atom, it is made up of protons and neutrons. Protons have a positive charge while neutrons do not have any charge. The positive charge of the protons causes the nucleus of an atom to have a positive charge. An element’s atomic mass is the number of protons in its nucleus. Surrounding the nucleus is a cloud of subatomic particles called electrons, which have a negative charge. Atoms as a …show more content…

An example of a device that uses electrolysis is a rechargeable battery. Electrolysis consists of an electric current passing through a liquid, causing chemical reactions to occur within the liquid. Another example of electrolysis in the real world is the process of electroplating. In electroplating, chemicals are put in water and through electrolysis he chemicals or compounds in the liquid adhere to the metal being electroplated. Electrolysis can also be used to separate compounds and purify impure substances. Purifying a substances is achieved by separating the desired parts of a substance from the impure or unwanted sections through electrolysis. The process of electrolysis can also change the pH of a solution (Wolfson,

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