Questions about electrons/ion/electrolyte.

[Nadbuddy]

Hi! I've been wondering about this since i'm a bit confused when it comes to fuel cells.

As you can see protons (H+) can go through Electrolyte, but i'm very confused why electrons don't. According to Google, this is how fuel cells work:

 

1. But in general terms, hydrogen atoms enter a fuel cell at the anode where a chemical reaction strips them of their electrons. The hydrogen atoms are now "ionized," and carry a positive electrical charge. The negatively charged electrons provide the current through wires to do work.

This states that the hydrogen atoms becomes ionized (including electrons?) but aren't electrolytes "a liquid or gel which contains ions"? Though i'm not really sure if there are negative/positive ions in electrolyte.

This would mean that electrons would also be able to go through (as because they are ions).

 

Here's another statement at (http://chemistry.stackexchange.com/questions/2644/why-dont-the-electrons-move-through-the-electrolyte-instead-of-the-circuit-in) that " Electrons cannot survive in aqueous state". This would completely take off my conclusion of that electrons should be able to go through electrolyte (because they are ions).

 

------------------------ More statements incoming --------------------------------

 

As the picture above suggests there are H+ in the electrolyte which i would suppose are protons (positively charge). Does that mean that the electrolyte is positively ionized?

 

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This may be alot of questions at once but i hope you can answer them.

Here's a couple of questions i still have in mind

 

- When a hydrogen atom gets separated. The hydrogen atom gets ionized. Does that mean both the proton AND the electron becomes ionized?

- How is an electron/proton ionized if the definition of an ion is "an atom or molecule with a net electric charge due to the loss or gain of one or more electrons."? It states that an ATOM that has less/more electrons than protons are ions.

Edited November 23, 2014 by Nadbuddy

[Nicholas Kang]

First thing first, this question is actually a topic of electrochemistry, so it must be posted in chemistry section of this forum. Make sure that you know how to differentiate chemistry and physics. Your post will be moved to chemistry soon.

 

Lets start with atoms. An atom is composed of protons, neutrons and electrons. Normally, they are confined together. Since protons are positively-charged and electrons are negatively-charged, they will attract each other, posing an electromagnetic force between them. Neutrons are neutral. When we say an atom is ionized, electrons are stripped away from the atom, the atom is said to be be charged and known as an ion. Ion forms because there is an imbalance net charge.

 

Protons wouldn`t be ionized, so as electrons. They carried charged, so they won`t be further "ionized". Protons don`t contain electrons.

So, both your last 2 questions are invalid.

 

Electrolytes are charge carrier. They carry charge. They become ionized in certain solvents. So, they can transport charges. Try to grasp the basic chemistry before delving further.

 

This post may help:

http://www.scienceforums.net/topic/86381-basics-of-batteries/

Water is a universal solvent. Oil is an organic solvent/Polar solvent. That`s why oil can reduce stains. Electrons here means free electrons. Electrolytes can be both positively and negatively ionized, depends on the nature of the electrolyte itself.

 

Try to read the electrochemistry section of the wikipedia Electrolyte

Edited November 23, 2014 by Nicholas Kang

[studiot]

Electrons do not 'hang' around on their own in an electrolyte.

An electrolyte is a solution, gel or paste, containing ions and a solvent or a bulking material such as a gel.

Overall the electrolyte is neither positive nor negative it is neutral.

Atoms or molecules become ions by either gaining or loosing one or more electrons from other atoms or molecules.

Electrons themselves are far too reactive to hang around in the electrolyte on their own. They are always attached to some molecule or ion.

Since electrons carry a negative charge, molecules that loose electrons become positive ions and those that gain electrons negative ions.

When molecules form ions some reasily form positive ones, some readily form negative ones.

 

 

Protons are positive ions formed from hydrogen atoms.

So it is natural to find them in an electrolyte, unlike electrons.

 

 

Electrons, however, can travel in a conductor and that is the purpose of the external circuit (wires).

Because the positive ions congregate on ones side of the cell and the negative ones on the the other side there is a net movement of electrons within the cell towards the negative side, carried by the ions.

The negative region doesn't carry on getting more and more negative, however, because the electrons return via the external circuit, balancing things up.

 

Does this help?

[nullus]

say YES and THANK YOU for teachers

 

Does this help?