Introduction
Copper is a relatively cheap metal with many properties; such as being a good conductor of heat and resisting corrosion. As a result, it is used often in everyday items, such as plumbing, radiators, air conditioners, even in buildings. The majority of Canadian government buildings' roofs are made of copper, proving how reliable the metal is. Due to the fact that copper is used for the roofs, it will be exposed to all kinds of weather conditions.
It is undeniable that one of the worst weather conditions for a building to withstand is lightning. Since the copper roofs will be exposed to such a condition, understanding how the lightning will impact the roof is crucial to ensure that it is the safest and a durable building option.
The purpose of this experiment is to determine how the voltage of lightning will affect the mass of copper, on a smaller scale. This will be done through a series of tests in which the difference of the mass of a copper based on different voltages will be evaluated.
This experiment will be conducted through the utilization of electrolysis. Electrolysis is the process in which an electric current is passed through an object in order for one of the substances to get oxidized or reduced. The process is carried out by the usage of an electrolytic cell, which is a cell that consists of an electrolyte, its container, and two electrodes.
When such gain or loss of electrons occurs, the substance becomes either positively charged (a cation) or negatively charged (an anion). When it becomes an anion, the amount of energy in the substance increases; which thus causes an increase in the mass of the substance.
It is definitive that there will be an impact on the mass of copper during the process of electrolysis. This can be determined through an understanding of stoichiometry. The equations which we can use to express this chemical reaction are as follows:
Cu2+ + energy = Cu
or
Cu2+ + 2e- ⇌ Cu
If one of the reactants increases, the product must increase as well, and vice versa. As a result, if the energy (voltage) — which is a reactant — increases, the product must increase in order for the equation to be balanced.
Personal Engagement
A couple of months ago, I saw a TikTok explaining how the copper roofs in Canadian government buildings had turned green due to oxidation. This led me to be more interested in how copper roofs can be impacted based on their surroundings. I began asking questions; how does rain impact copper roofs? Can strong sunlight impact the roofs? How does snow impact them? Eventually, I came to the question of how lightning impacts the roofs.
One day, in my chemistry class, we did an experiment to demonstrate how we can use electrolysis to power devices. While doing the experiment, one of my group members put the zinc we used on a scale before and after, and we all noticed a difference in mass. This led me to think, if zinc's mass changed, wouldn't copper's mass as well? I began thinking about how much voltage a copper roof could take before it collapsed on the building. However, I couldn't find an actual answer on the Internet, and thus decided to figure it out myself but on a smaller scale.
Research Question
How does the voltage affect the mass of copper when put in a copper (II) sulfate solution?
Hypothesis
If I increase the voltage by 1, then the mass of the copper will increase by 5g because more electrons will be moving through the different electrodes.
Independent Variable
The independent variable is the amperage that will be given to the copper electrodes. The five amperages being used will be 2V, 4V, 6V, 9V, 10V. All of the said voltages were chosen as they were the five common amperages in the chosen databases. This would ensure that all data being used was as accurate as possible.
Dependent Variable
The dependent variable would be the difference between the initial and final mass of the copper electrodes. This will help identify how each amperage affects the mass, which as a result, will answer the research question.
Control Variables
The main variable that needs to be controlled is the concentration of solution in which the electrodes are placed. All databases except for two use 1M. The other two both use 0.1M. Another control variable is the solution in which the electrodes are placed. 5 out of the 8 databases use copper (II) sulfate, while the other three use copper (II) nitrate, zinc (II) sulfate or copper chloride.
Materials
Due to the ongoing pandemic, databases had to be used for this IA. To test the accuracy of the databases, a total of 8 different ones were used and compared with each other. Not all 8 databases consisted of all 5 independent variables, however each variable had results from at least 3 of the databases. Database 1 is from The School of Excellence and used as a teaching resource. Database 2 is the results of a lab done by a grade 11 student in order to obtain a scholarship. Database 3 is a thesis provided by TED Ankara College. Database 4 is a leaflet created by LD Didactic. Database 5 is a student's lab report. Database 6 is a lab report done by Chemist Isaac DeHart. Database 7 is a report done by a student at Parkland College. Database 8 is another report provided by The School of Excellence.
Procedure
Each variable's results were averaged through finding the mean and then compared with each other. An analysis of the databases' sources of error and procedures will be done as well. Alongside, whichever control variables are in the majority of the databases will be used. The results will be used to determine whether or not the hypothesis is correct and answer the research question.
