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Electrochemistry & Redox

Faraday's First Law of Electrolysis

The mass of a substance liberated at an electrode is directly proportional to the quantity of electricity passed.

Formula / equation m = Z I t
Unit g

In depth

Since charge equals current multiplied by time, doubling either doubles the mass deposited. The law follows directly from the fact that a fixed number of electrons is required per ion discharged, and it makes electrolysis a precise way of measuring charge.

Examples in the real world

Passing 2 A for 30 minutes deposits twice as much copper as the same current for 15 minutes.