C3.3 Electrolytic processes Flashcards
How do you break the bonds in an ionic solid?
By melting it or dissolving it in water
What are electrolytes?
Ionic substances that conduct electricity when molten or in aqueous solution
Why do ionic substances have to be molten or in aqueous solution in order to conduct electricity?
Because then the ions are able to move freely
What is electrolysis?
The chemical decomposition of a compound produced by passing an electric current through a liquid or solution containing ions
What electrical supply does electrolysis use?
DC (direct current)
What things are necessary to carry out electrolysis?
- a DC electricity supply
- two electrodes
- an electrolyte
What forces cause ions to move towards electrodes with opposite charges during electrolysis?
Electrostatic forces of attraction
What charge does a cathode have?
Negative
What charge does an anode have?
Positive
What charge does a cation have?
Positive
What charge does an anion have?
Negative
During the electrolysis of copper chromate solution what colour solution does the chromate form?
Orange-brown
During the electrolysis of copper chromate solution what colour solution do the copper ions form?
Blue
What are electrodes made out of?
Metal or carbon
What happens to ions at the cathode?
Electrons from the negative cathode are transferred to the positive ions
What happens to ions at the anode?
The negative ions lose electrons to the positively charged anode
What is reduction?
When positive ions gain electrons
What is oxidation?
The loss of electrons by a negative ion
Why do chemical changes occur at the electrodes?
Because the transfer of electrons that happens there changes ions into atoms or molecules
During the electrolysis of sodium chloride, what ions are attracted to the cathode?
Sodium ions
In the electrolysis of sodium chloride, what ions are attracted to the anode?
Chloride ions
What is produced from the electrolysis of NaCl?
Sodium metal and chlorine gas
What are the uses of sodium?
In street lamps and as a coolant in nuclear reactions
How is sodium used in street lamps?
Sodium vapour gives out a bright yellow light when an electric current is passed through it
How is sodium used as a coolant in nuclear reactions?
Liquid sodium metal has a high thermal conductivity and transfers heat very efficiently from the core of the reactor to water, which then turns into steam and drives the generators
What does a half-equation for electrolysis show?
The change at just one of the electrodes
Why is hydrogen a clean fuel?
- it doesn’t produce any of the pollutants that fossil fuels produce
- it doesn’t produce carbon dioxide
What does it mean when a material is inert?
It won’t react
Why does an electrode need to be made from an inert material?
So that it doesn’t react with the electrolyte or the products during electrolysis
How can you measure the rate of reaction of gases during electrolysis?
Test tubes can collect the gases from the electrode, and the amount of time it takes for them to fill up and can show the rate of reaction
What does Hoffman’s voltameter do?
Collect gases given off during electrolysis so that the volume can be read from the vertical tubes
What happens to the ions in a molten salt when it is electrolysed?
They become discharged as atoms or molecules at the electrodes