Some Notes

The apparatus:

Six inch clear plastic squares 1/4" thick are used. Wire is copper 0.5mm = 0.020 = 25 guage to 2 mm = 0.080" = 14 guage. A large circle of this wire is placed between the plastic plates and is the anode, or negative electrode. A hole is drilled into the top plate through which is injected copper sulfate in a concentration range 0.1M - 0.7M. A copper cathode, or positive electrode, is placed into this hole. A voltage between 5 - 20V is applied. A quasi 2D growth is supposed to occur.

    Copper

  1. Atomic weight = 63.57 g/mol.
  2. Atomic number = 29.
  3. m.p. = 1083C.
  4. b.p. = 2300 C.
  5. density = specific gravity = 8.93 - 8.95 g/cm^3.

A few questions:
What about electrical neutrality? What is the role of sulfate ion?
The anode dissolves giving copper metal. Remove the central wire (anode) and replace it with zinc. What happens?
Use zinc sulfate rather than copper sulfate. Zn deposition is more dendritic.

Some Defitions from the American College Dictionary

electron n. Abbr. e

A stable subatomic particle in the lepton family having a rest mass of 9.1066 x 10-28 gram and a unit negative electric charge of approximately 1.602 x 10-19 coulomb.. [ELECTR(IC) + -ON1.]

electrolytic cell n.

  1. A cell containing an electrolyte through which an externally generated electric current is passed by a system of electrodes in order to produce an electrochemical reaction.
  2. A cell containing an electrolyte in which an electrochemical reaction produces an electromotive force.

electrolyte n.

  1. A chemical compound that ionizes when dissolved or molten to produce an electrically conductive medium.
  2. Physiology. Any of various ions, such as sodium, potassium, or chloride, required by cells to regulate the electric charge and flow of water molecules across the cell membrane.

electron volt n. Abbr. eV

A unit of energy equal to the energy acquired by an electron falling through a potential difference of one volt, approximately 1.602 6 10-19 joule..

volt1 n. Abbr. V

The International System unit of electric potential and electromotive force, equal to the difference of electric potential between two points on a conducting wire carrying a constant current of one ampere when the power dissipated between the points is one watt.. [After Count Alessandro Volta.]

volt2 also volte n. Sports.

  1. A circular movement executed by a horse in manège.
  2. A sudden movement made in avoiding a thrust in fencing. [French volte, from Italian volta, turn, from voltare, to turn, leap. See VAULT2.]

wel-2. Important derivatives are: waltz, willow, walk, well1, wallow, vault1, vault2, volume, evolve, involve, revolve, vulva, valve, valley, helix.
wel-2. To turn, roll; with derivatives referring to curved, enclosing objects.

  1. a. WALTZ, from Old High German walzan, to roll, waltz; b. WELTER, from Middle Low German or Middle Dutch welteren, to roll. Both a and b from Germanic *walt-.
  2. WHELK1, from Old English weoluc, weoloc, mollusk (having a spiral shell), whelk, from Germanic *weluka-.
  3. WILLOW, from Old English welig, willow (with flexible twigs), from Germanic *wel-, perhaps from wel-2.
  4. WALK, from Old English wealcan, to roll, toss, and wealcian, to muffle up, from Germanic *welk-, perhaps from wel-2.
  5. O-grade form *wol-. a. WELL1, from Old English wiella, wælla, welle, a well (< "rolling or bubbling water," "spring"); b. GABERDINE, from Old High German wallÅn, to roam; c. WALLET, possibly from Old North French *walet, roll, knapsack. a, b, and c all from Germanic *wall-.
  6. Perhaps suffixed o-grade form *wol-E-. a. WALE, from Old English walu, streak on the skin, weal, welt; b. (see wrEd-) Old High German *wurzwalu, rootstock, from *-walu, a roll, round stem. Both a and b from Germanic *walÅ.
  7. Extended form *welw-. a. WALLOW, from Old English wealwian, to roll (in mud), from Germanic *walwÅn; b. VAULT1, VAULT2, (VOLT2), VOLUBLE, VOLUME, VOLUTE, VOLUTIN, VOLVOX, VOUSSOIR; CIRCUMVOLVE, CONVOLVE, DEVOLVE, EVOLVE, INVOLVE, REVOLVE, from Latin volvere, to roll; c. suffixed o-grade form *wolw-E-. VOLVA, VULVA, from Latin vulva, volva, covering, womb; d. suffixed zero-grade form *wΣw-E-. VALVE, from Latin valva, leaf of a door (< "that which turns"); e. Suffixed zero-grade form *wΣu-ti-. ALYCE CLOVER, from Greek halusis, chain; f. suffixed form *welu-tro-. ELYTRON, from Greek elutron, sheath, cover.
  8. Suffixed form wel-n-. ILEUS; NEURILEMMA, from Greek eilein (< *welnein), to turn, squeeze.
  9. Perhaps variant *wall-. VAIL1, VALE1, VALLEY, from Latin vallTs, vallis, valley (< "that which is surrounded by hills").
  10. Possibly suffixed form *wel-enE. ELECAMPANE, INULIN, from Greek helenion, elecampane, from the Greek name HelenT (earliest form WelenE), Helen.
  11. Suffixed form *wel-ik-. HELIX, from Greek helix, spiral object.
  12. Suffixed form *wel-mi-nth-. HELMINTH; ANTHELMINTIC, PLATYHELMINTH, from Greek helmis, helmins (stem helminth-), parasitic worm. [Pokorny 7. öel- 1140.]

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