Question

Current passes through a solution of sodium chloride. In 1.00 second, 2.68×1016Na+ ions arrive at the negative electrode and 3.92×1016Cl? ions arrive at the positive electrode.

A) What is the current passing between the electrodes?

Express your answer in milliamperes to three significant figures.

B) What is the direction of the current in the ionic solution?

a - away from the negative electrode

b - toward the negative electrode

Answer 1

Current is given by the formula I = Q / t, where I is the current, Q is the charge, and t is the amount of time. The charge on a proton or electron (magnitude) is 1.6 * 10-19 C. Multiply by the total number of charges (ions) involved and by the time:

I = Q / t
I = ((2.68 * 1016 + 3.92 * 1016) * 1.6 * 10-19) / 1.00
I = 0.01056 A=10.5732

B) By convention, the direction of a current is the direction in which the protons flow. This is in opposite to the direction of an electric field (away from the negative charge). So the direction of the current is towards the negative electrode.

Toward the negative electrode