7#$v,(  z4x:l +*,O+ ++,k++++++Electrolysis of Water - Device Construction

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ELECTROLYSIS/CONDUCTANCE DEVICE CONSTRUCTION
(another in the series of inexpensive lab devices)

Introduction. In these days of less than diminishing supply budgets in schools - actually zero budgets, it becomes difficult to teach lab sciences. This is especially true for new teachers who are just starting a program, and have no inventory of equipment from prior years. Thus this page and its companions have been written to give teachers devices that they can make themselves. Many teachers are "construction challenged" and so it might be assigned to a few of their more handy students to build.

MAKING THE DEVICE

Overall, in the diagram to the right you will see that from the base extend upwards two carbon rods (thick pencil leads) that are sealed by rubber grommets (ACE Hardware part #55051-A). The device is connected to a 9 volt battery. Here is how to make such a device for less than $1.00 (USA).

Purchase or beg* the following items from stationery or school supply stores, hardware and building supply stores:

  1. One "primary" pencil for each device you want to make. These are the fat pencils often used by first graders. Take the pencil(s) home, hacksaw off the eraser ends, cut the pencils in half, and boil the pencil(s) in water for awhile to soften the wood and weaken the glue holding the two pieces of wood sheathing together. Turn off the heat. After awhile you should be able to peel apart the two pieces of wood that enclose the thick lead. Jamming a screwdriver into an end here and there will help you discover the joint between the sheathings. (Automatic pencil lead is not thick enough for most available grommets.)
  2. You need to find a lucite or acrylic container of hard plastic that has a FLAT bottom (so the electrodes will stand up vertically). It should be a container that is at least 5 inches tall.
  3. (Here comes the difficult part!) You need to drill two holes through the bottom of the container. The easy part is finding the right size drill bit: for the grommet mentioned above, use a 5/16 inch bit. The hard part is drilling the hole without shattering the plastic. BE GENTLE when drilling. If the bit grabs the plastic, do NOT force the bit forward. If you need to make several of these devices, you will quickly gain the skill to do them quickly.
  4. It is important that all burrs be removed from the tops and bottoms of the holes you have just drilled. An easy way to do this is to rotate once or twice a very large drill bit in the hole. The edges of the holes will become slightly beveled. Removal of the burrs will allow a watertight seal.
  5. There are various ways to fit a grommet into a hole so that its flanges are on both sides of the intervening material. You might try:
    • Wetting it and start by slipping part of one flange through to the other side. A small screwdriver can then be used to push the remainder of that flange through the hole.
    • Wrap a strong string around the groove in the grommet. Wet the grommet to make it slippery. Thread the two ends of the string through the hole, jam a portion of the flange through the hole and then by pulling BOTH parts of the string they will pull the flange through the hole. (This, by the way, is the poor man's way of installing windshields in cars - have you noticed that windshields are set in large grommets?!)
  6. For electrolysis: artially sharpen one end of each piece of the carbon rods, and insert the pointed ends through the grommets from the inside of the contain. Push them through the grommets so that about 1 cm of rod extends below the container.
  7. For conductivity studies, do not use carbon as it has a high resistance. Instead, use some metal. It has been found that the above grommets work well with 1/8 inch diameter wires and rods. It has been noticed that smooth, eight-penny (8d) steel nails work well.
  8. Now return to the main electrolysis page or to the conductivity page.

* Beg? Yes. Often the managers of home improvement stores such as the Home Depot or Lowes will give you small quantities of such supplies. These stores like to support education, and often will even give students supplies for the science fair projects. RadioShack will often give educational discounts.

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