ALTERNATING CURRENT ELECTROLYSIS. PART IV. ELECTROLYSIS OF SULPHURIC ACID SOLUTIONS WITH COPPER ELECTRODES

Chemical effects, produced by passing a square-wave type alternating current between copper electrodes in sulphuric acid solution, have been studied. Hydrogen evolution, taken place at both the electrodes but the rate of gas evolution falls rapidly at one of the electrodes at which gas evolution ceases entirely after some time. Copper goes into solution and the electrodes at the end of the experiment are covered with a deposit of copper. The volume of hydrogen evolved diminishes markedly with frequency of alternation and concentration of electrolyte, and increases with current density, temperature and area of electrodes. The rate of gas evolution is proportional to time during initial stages of experiment but falls off with tim