Metals & Electrochemistry

Metals & Electrochemistry

Hello, let's review the eleventh chapter together and check out a couple of very important metals!

Using electrochemistry to understand nature

When the sun shines on plants, they are able to gain electrons and store that energy into sugars. Through the study of photosynthesis, a plant looks like a battery.

The father of electrochemistry invented the battery

• A slow learner, Alessandro Volta, became a physics professor

• He loved to study lightning

• In 1800, he made a pile of zinc, wet cardboard, and copper in a jar of salt water

• Royalty was VERY impresseed!

Multiple Choice

How do plants store energy from sunlight?

• Evaporation

• Photosynthesis

• Zinc and Copper

• They have to burn some wood

Fill in the Blanks

Alessandro Volta invented the...

Malachite is a beautiful mineral. It is based on a very important metal, copper. We think that copper was the first metal made by humans. It is easily melted, easily shaped and kills bacteria. People liked it because it was pretty and useful.

With metal technology, we were able to get a doubly strong metal out of meteorites. This was called iron. It was used to make swords and armor, but it could get rusty. It was only for royalty back then, but today it's the cheapest metal.

Multiple Choice

What makes copper an easier metal to use than iron?

• It is harder

• It gets rusty faster

• It has a lower melting point and it is softer

Iron and copper make an interesting combination

They have a pretty large difference in voltage potential. Electrons will flow over the wire, from the iron to the copper. The salt bridge completes the circuit by allowing protons from the copper side to go to the iron side.

While the copper is getting reduced, the iron is oxidized.

• Reduction means the charge is going down. This indicates the copper is gaining electrons.

• Oxidation means a loss of electrons, so they are flowing away from the iron.

Multiple Choice

What flows through copper wires to conduct energy?

• Protons

• Neutrons

• Salts

• Electrons