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  • Calculating Charge Required to Liberate 1 Gram of a Metal - A Step-by-Step Guide
    Step 1: Determine the molar mass of the metal.

    This information is typically found in a periodic table. For example, the molar mass of copper (Cu) is 63.55 g/mol.

    Step 2: Calculate the number of moles of metal in 1 gram equivalent.

    1 gram equivalent is defined as the mass of a substance that can react with or combine with 1 mole of hydrogen gas. For a metal, this is equivalent to the molar mass of the metal.

    Therefore, the number of moles of copper in 1 gram equivalent is:

    $$moles \ of \ Cu = \frac{1 \ gram}{63.55 \ g/mol} = 0.01575 mol$$

    Step 3: Calculate the number of electrons required to liberate 1 gram equivalent of metal.

    Each metal atom loses a certain number of electrons when it is oxidized. This number is equal to the valence of the metal.

    For example, copper has a valence of 2, which means that each copper atom loses 2 electrons when it is oxidized.

    Therefore, the number of electrons required to liberate 1 gram equivalent of copper is:

    $$moles \ of \ e^- = moles \ of \ Cu × valence$$

    $$moles \ of \ e^- = 0.01575 mol × 2 = 0.0315 mol$$

    Step 4: Calculate the charge required to liberate 1 gram equivalent of metal.

    The charge required to liberate 1 mole of electrons is equal to the Faraday constant, which is approximately 96,500 coulombs.

    Therefore, the charge required to liberate 0.0315 moles of electrons is:

    $$charge = moles \ of \ e^- × Faraday \ constant$$

    $$charge = 0.0315 mol × 96,500 \ C/mol$$

    $$charge = 3038.25 C$$

    Therefore, approximately 3038.25 coulombs of charge is required to liberate 1 gram equivalent of copper.

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