The unit of electrochemical equivalent (ECE) is typically expressed in terms of grams per coulomb (g/C). This unit reflects the mass of a substance that is deposited or dissolved by one coulomb of electric charge.
### Understanding Electrochemical Equivalent
1. **Definition**: Electrochemical equivalent (ECE) is the mass of a substance that is deposited or dissolved at an electrode during electrolysis when one coulomb of electric charge passes through the electrolyte. It is essentially a measure of how much substance is affected by a unit charge.
2. **Calculation**: The ECE of a substance can be determined using Faraday's laws of electrolysis. For a given substance, it is calculated using the formula:
\[
\text{ECE} = \frac{M}{nF}
\]
where:
- \( M \) is the molar mass of the substance.
- \( n \) is the number of electrons transferred per ion of the substance during the electrochemical reaction.
- \( F \) is Faraday's constant (approximately \( 96485 \) C/mol), which is the charge of one mole of electrons.
3. **Units**:
- **Grams per Coulomb (g/C)**: This is the most common unit, where 1 g/C means that 1 gram of the substance is deposited or dissolved by passing 1 coulomb of electric charge.
- **Kilograms per Coulomb (kg/C)**: Sometimes used in different contexts, but essentially the same idea scaled by a factor of 1000.
### Example
For instance, consider the electrochemical equivalent of silver (Ag), which has a molar mass of about 107.87 g/mol, and in its electrochemical reaction, 1 mole of Ag requires 1 mole of electrons. Using Faraday's constant:
\[
\text{ECE}_{\text{Ag}} = \frac{107.87 \, \text{g/mol}}{1 \times 96485 \, \text{C/mol}} \approx 1.12 \times 10^{-3} \, \text{g/C}
\]
So, the electrochemical equivalent of silver is approximately 0.00112 g/C.
In summary, the unit of electrochemical equivalent is grams per coulomb (g/C), representing the mass of a substance that is deposited or dissolved per unit of electric charge.