On the Emission of Light During Electrolysis
Abstract
Experiments show that during electrolysis of a conventional electrolytic cell - Cu versus Zn, in dilute nitric acid - low level light is emitted during the electrolytic reaction. Measurement of the characteristics of this light allows the establishment of a number of aspects of the electrolysis process. These include the light spectrum of the reaction, the activation energy (or energies) of the process, and the kinetics of the reaction at the involved electrode. In addition, noise studies of the time variation of the light signals, correlated with concurrent current measurements, provide measures of correlated events. The studies suggest that the light emission is a two-step process, which is being investigated. Also under investigation are a number of different electrolytic cells to determine if the present observations are general.
- Publication:
-
APS March Meeting Abstracts
- Pub Date:
- March 2003
- Bibcode:
- 2003APS..MARW33010G