Photo AI
Water, acidified with sulfuric acid, is decomposed by electrolysis - Edexcel - GCSE Chemistry - Question 3 - 2019 - Paper 1
Question 3
Water, acidified with sulfuric acid, is decomposed by electrolysis. The water is decomposed to produce hydrogen and oxygen. (i) A sample of hydrogen is mixed with a... show full transcript
Worked Solution & Example Answer:Water, acidified with sulfuric acid, is decomposed by electrolysis - Edexcel - GCSE Chemistry - Question 3 - 2019 - Paper 1
Step 1
Step 2
(ii) Describe, using the data in Figure 2, what the results show about the volumes of hydrogen and of oxygen produced in this experiment.
Answer
The data in Figure 2 indicates that as time progresses, the volume of hydrogen and oxygen produced increases proportionally. Specifically, the volume of hydrogen increases by 2 cm³ for every 2 cm³ increase in the volume of oxygen, demonstrating a direct relationship between the two gases produced.
To elaborate, at time 0, neither gas is produced. At the 2-minute mark, 4 cm³ of hydrogen and 2 cm³ of oxygen are observed. By 8 minutes, this rises to 16 cm³ of hydrogen and 8 cm³ of oxygen, confirming that the volume of hydrogen is always double that of oxygen produced throughout the experiment.
This consistent ratio indicates that hydrogen and oxygen are produced according to their molar ratio in water, which is 2:1, aligning with the stoichiometry of water decomposition.