Electrolysis: Calculating Indium Production

How can we calculate the amount of indium formed through electrolysis?

Based on the data, what is the formula used to determine the grams of indium produced?

Calculating Indium Production

To calculate the amount of indium formed through electrolysis, we can use Faraday's law of electrolysis. According to the data provided, the passage of 6.62 amps for 6.13 hours through an electrolytic cell that contains molten In(I) salt can produce approximately 58.8 grams of indium.

Faraday's law of electrolysis allows us to determine the amount of substance produced in an electrolytic cell based on the amount of charge passed through the cell. In this case, we are calculating the grams of indium that can be produced by passing 6.62 amps for 6.13 hours through the electrolytic cell.

First, we calculate the total charge that passes through the cell using the formula:

Charge = Current x Time

Therefore, Charge = 6.62 A x 6.13 h x 3600 s/h = 1.485 x 10^5 C

Next, we determine the number of moles of electrons that pass through the cell, which is equal to the number of moles of indium produced. Each In(III) ion requires three electrons to be reduced to solid indium metal (In). Therefore:

Moles of Electrons = Charge / Faraday Constant / 3 = 1.485 x 10^5 C / 96,485 C/mol / 3 = 0.512 mol

Finally, we convert the number of moles of indium to grams using the molar mass of indium, which is 114.82 g/mol:

Grams of Indium = Moles of Indium x Molar Mass of Indium = 0.512 mol x 114.82 g/mol = 58.8 g

Therefore, the passage of 6.62 amps for 6.13 hours through an electrolytic cell containing molten In(I) salt can produce approximately 58.8 grams of indium.