Exploring The Potentialities Of Experimentation Using Electrolytic And Fuel Cells As A Teaching Resource In The High School Education

The most noble and important mission of this classroom report was to engage teachers looking for tools to foster the teaching-learning process and to contribute to facilitate students' comprehension. All activities developed were mediated by the leading teacher and applied in two classes of students from the 2nd year of high school, from the public network of the State of Minas Gerais. The didactic sequence was based on the application of university entrance examination questions in two moments, on the contextualization of electrochemistry by the leading professor, on the reading of two scientific papers, on the manipulation and observation of two experiments which addressed spontaneous and nonspontaneous electrochemical reactions and explored fundamental concepts of electrochemistry, and on the assessment of learning. The first experiment was carried out in an electrolytic cell, with an electrical potential being applied to produce hydrogen and oxygen gases from the electrolysis of water. The second experiment was carried out in a fuel cell, using the spontaneity of the half-reactions of hydrogen gas oxidation and oxygen gas reduction to generate electrical energy. The activities performed enabled the students to understand the functioning of the electrolytic and fuel cells, to verify the occurrence of oxidation and reduction half-reactions, to measure the electrical potentials generated in the series and parallel associations of two fuel cells and to represent, through the electrochemical reactions. the cathodic and anodic processes. The activities were well received by the students, provided greater interactivity among them and resulted in relevant learning.