The electrochemical equivalent (ECE) of a substance is a measure of how much of that substance is produced or consumed during an electrochemical reaction per unit of electric charge passed. It’s often used in electrolysis calculations.
For chlorine gas (Cl₂), the electrochemical equivalent can be calculated based on its molecular weight and the charge needed to produce it during electrolysis.
**Here's a step-by-step breakdown of how to calculate it:**
1. **Determine the molecular weight of Cl₂:**
- Chlorine has an atomic weight of approximately 35.5 g/mol.
- Therefore, Cl₂ (which consists of two chlorine atoms) has a molecular weight of \( 35.5 \times 2 = 71 \) g/mol.
2. **Find the number of electrons required for the electrochemical process:**
- Chlorine gas is typically produced through the electrolysis of sodium chloride (NaCl) solution. In this process, Cl₂ is formed from chloride ions (Cl⁻).
- The reaction is: \( 2 \text{Cl}^- \rightarrow \text{Cl}_2 + 2 \text{e}^- \).
- Therefore, 2 moles of electrons are needed to produce 1 mole of Cl₂.
3. **Calculate the charge needed:**
- Faraday’s constant (F) is approximately 96485 C/mol, representing the charge per mole of electrons.
- Therefore, to produce 1 mole of Cl₂, 2 moles of electrons are needed, which equals \( 2 \times 96485 = 192970 \) C.
4. **Compute the electrochemical equivalent:**
- The ECE can be found using the formula:
\[
\text{ECE} = \frac{\text{Molecular weight}}{\text{Total charge needed per mole of substance}}
\]
- Substituting the values:
\[
\text{ECE} = \frac{71 \text{ g/mol}}{192970 \text{ C}}
\]
- This simplifies to approximately \( 3.69 \times 10^{-4} \text{ g/C} \).
Therefore, the electrochemical equivalent of Cl₂ is approximately \( 3.69 \times 10^{-4} \text{ g/C} \), meaning that for every coulomb of charge passed through the system, about \( 3.69 \times 10^{-4} \) grams of chlorine gas are produced.