Electrolysis in chemistry is the process of using electricity to drive a non-

spontaneous chemical reaction. It's commonly used to break down compounds

into their elements, especially when the compound doesn't separate naturally.

🔌 How It Works:
Electrolysis involves passing an electric current through an electrolyte (a
substance that conducts electricity when dissolved in water or molten). The setup
typically includes:
 Two electrodes:
o Anode (+): Where oxidation (loss of electrons) occurs

o Cathode (−): Where reduction (gain of electrons) occurs

 A power source: Supplies the direct current (DC)

 Electrolyte: Contains free ions that move to the electrodes

🧪 Example: Electrolysis of Water

2H2O(l)→2H2(g)+O2(g)\text{2H}_2\text{O}(l) \rightarrow 2\text{H}_2(g) + \
text{O}_2(g)2H2O(l)→2H2(g)+O2(g)
 At cathode:
2H++2e−→H2(gas)2H^+ + 2e^- \rightarrow H_2 (gas)2H++2e−→H2(gas)
 At anode:
2H2O→O2(gas)+4H++4e−2H_2O \rightarrow O_2 (gas) + 4H^+ + 4e^-2H2O→O2
(gas)+4H++4e−

⚙️Common Uses:
 Extracting metals from ores (e.g. aluminium from bauxite)
 Electroplating (coating objects with metal)
 Producing gases like hydrogen and oxygen
 Purifying metals (e.g. copper)
L

⚡ What Is Electrolysis?
Electrolysis is when electricity is used to split up a chemical substance.
Imagine using a battery to break apart a compound into its parts — that's
electrolysis.
But here’s the key:
Electrolysis happens to compounds that don’t break apart by themselves —
so they need a little “push” from electricity.

🎯 Think of It Like This:

You have a liquid that contains ions (called an electrolyte), and you put two wires
(called electrodes) into it:
 One is positive (anode)
 One is negative (cathode)
When you connect these to a battery, electricity flows, and something amazing
happens: the ions in the liquid move to the electrodes and react.

🔄 What Happens at Each Electrode?

 At the Cathode (−): Positive ions go here and gain electrons (this is
called reduction)
 At the Anode (+): Negative ions go here and lose electrons (this is called
oxidation)

💧 Simple Example: Electrolysis of Water

Water alone doesn't conduct electricity well, so we add something like acid to help.

 At the cathode, hydrogen ions (H⁺) get electrons and form hydrogen gas

 At the anode, water or hydroxide ions (OH⁻) lose electrons and form oxygen
gas
You end up with:
Water→Hydrogen gas+Oxygen gas\text{Water} \rightarrow \text{Hydrogen gas}
+ \text{Oxygen gas}Water→Hydrogen gas+Oxygen gas

🔍 Real-Life Use?
Ever heard of electroplating? It’s when we coat something (like a spoon) with
silver or gold using electrolysis!
🔥 Key Words to Remember:

Term Meaning

Electrolyt A liquid with ions that conducts

e electricity

Anode (+) Electrons are lost (oxidation)

Cathode
Electrons are gained (reduction)
(−)

Charged atom (positive or

Ion
negative)

Electrolysi Breaking a compound using

s electricity

🔌 What Is Electrolysis?
Electrolysis is a chemical process that uses electricity to cause a chemical
change — specifically, to break down a compound into its elements or simpler
substances.
Normally, in chemistry, some reactions happen on their own (like iron rusting). But
some reactions don’t happen unless energy is added — this is where
electrolysis comes in.
So we say:
Electrolysis is used for non-spontaneous chemical reactions — they need help to
happen.

💡 What’s Needed for Electrolysis?

Let’s look at the 3 main parts you always need:
1. Electrolyte
This is the liquid that contains ions (charged particles). The ions move when
electricity passes through.
Examples:

 Saltwater (contains Na⁺ and Cl⁻)

 Acidic water (contains H⁺ and OH⁻)

 Molten (melted) salts like molten NaCl
2. Electrodes
These are the two solid pieces (usually metal or graphite) that carry electricity into
the liquid. They don’t dissolve.
 Cathode (-): Negative terminal — attracts positive ions
 Anode (+): Positive terminal — attracts negative ions
Remember this:
An Ox, Red Cat
Oxidation at the Anode
Reduction at the Cathode
3. Power Supply
A DC battery or power source is connected to the electrodes. It pushes electrons
into the system and powers the reaction.

⚙️How Does Electrolysis Work?

When the electric current flows:
 Positive ions (cations) are attracted to the negative cathode. They gain
electrons and get reduced.
 Negative ions (anions) are attracted to the positive anode. They lose
electrons and get oxidized.
This is called a redox reaction — both reduction and oxidation happen at the
same time.

🧪 Let’s Break Down an Example: Electrolysis of Water

We take pure water and add a little acid (like sulfuric acid) to make it conduct
electricity.
The reaction:
2H2O(l)→2H2(g)+O2(g)2H_2O(l) \rightarrow 2H_2(g) + O_2(g)2H2O(l)→2H2(g)+O2
(g)
At the Cathode (-):

Hydrogen ions (H⁺) are reduced:

2H++2e−→H2(g)2H^+ + 2e^- \rightarrow H_2(g)2H++2e−→H2(g)
They form hydrogen gas (bubbles out).
At the Anode (+):
Water is oxidized to produce oxygen gas:
2H2O→O2(g)+4H++4e−2H_2O \rightarrow O_2(g) + 4H^+ + 4e^-2H2O→O2(g)
+4H++4e−
So we get:
 Hydrogen gas at the cathode
 Oxygen gas at the anode
And that’s how we split water using electricity!

⚒️Another Example: Electrolysis of Molten Sodium Chloride (NaCl)

This is used in industries to get pure sodium metal and chlorine gas.
When NaCl is melted into a liquid:

 Na⁺ goes to the cathode → gets reduced → forms sodium metal:

Na++e−→NaNa^+ + e^- \rightarrow NaNa++e−→Na

 Cl⁻ goes to the anode → gets oxidized → forms chlorine gas:

2Cl−→Cl2(g)+2e−2Cl^- \rightarrow Cl_2(g) + 2e^-2Cl−→Cl2(g)+2e−
So you get:
 Liquid sodium metal at the bottom of the container
 Chlorine gas bubbling out at the top

🔄 Electrolysis in Real Life

1. Electroplating
Coating metals like copper or silver onto other metals to protect or decorate
them.
2. Metal Extraction
Some metals (like aluminum) are too reactive to be extracted by heating, so
electrolysis is used to extract them from ores.
3. Electrolysis of Brine
Brine = concentrated salt solution. Electrolysis produces:
o Chlorine gas (used in bleach, PVC)

o Hydrogen gas (used as fuel)

o Sodium hydroxide (used in soap)

🧠 Summary of Key Terms

Term Meaning

Electrolysi Breaking down a substance using

s electricity

Electrolyt A liquid with free ions that can conduct

e electricity

Electrode Conducts electricity into the liquid

Where oxidation happens (loss of

Anode (+)
electrons)

Cathode Where reduction happens (gain of

(−) electrons)

Ion Atom with a charge (positive or negative)

Both oxidation and reduction happening

Redox
together

💬 Let’s Use a Story to Help You Remember:

Imagine electricity is like a boss giving orders:

 The positive ions (H⁺, Na⁺) are eager workers — they rush to the negative
cathode to get their reward (electrons) and turn into happy, stable atoms.

 The negative ions (Cl⁻, OH⁻) get dragged to the positive anode where
they’re forced to give up their extra electrons — and become gas or some
other product.

If you want, I can:

 Explain electroplating in more detail
 Give you practice questions with answers
 Show diagrams for better understanding
 Compare electrolysis vs galvanic cells

🧠 Section A: Basic Understanding

1. What is electrolysis?
Answer:
Electrolysis is the process of using electricity to break down a compound into
simpler substances, usually its elements. It involves passing an electric current
through an electrolyte.

2. What are the two electrodes used in electrolysis?

Answer:
 Cathode (-): Negative electrode where reduction occurs.
 Anode (+): Positive electrode where oxidation occurs.

3. What is an electrolyte?
Answer:
An electrolyte is a substance that contains free-moving ions and can conduct
electricity when molten or dissolved in water.

4. What type of current is used in electrolysis?

Answer:
Direct Current (DC) is used, because it flows in one direction and allows
separation of positive and negative ions.

⚡ Section B: Reaction Behavior

5. What happens at the cathode during electrolysis?
Answer:
Positive ions (cations) gain electrons — this is called reduction.

6. What happens at the anode during electrolysis?

Answer:
Negative ions (anions) lose electrons — this is called oxidation.

7. In electrolysis, what is the term for a reaction where both oxidation and
reduction happen?
Answer:
A redox reaction.

🧪 Section C: Examples
8. What are the products of the electrolysis of water?
Answer:
 Hydrogen gas (H₂) at the cathode
  Oxygen gas (O₂) at the anode

9. What is the product at the cathode when molten NaCl is electrolyzed?

Answer:
Sodium metal (Na)

10. What is the product at the anode in molten NaCl electrolysis?

Answer:
Chlorine gas (Cl₂)

🛠️Section D: Applications
11. Mention three real-life uses of electrolysis.
Answer:
 Electroplating (e.g., coating jewelry with gold or silver)
 Metal extraction (e.g., extracting aluminum from bauxite)
 Producing chemicals like hydrogen, oxygen, and chlorine

12. What is electroplating and why is it useful?

Answer:
Electroplating is the process of coating one metal object with another using
electrolysis. It improves appearance, prevents rusting, and can make cheap metals
look expensive.

🧠 Section E: True or False

13. Oxidation occurs at the cathode.
Answer:
False – Oxidation occurs at the anode.

14. During electrolysis, electrons flow from the anode to the cathode.
Answer:
True – Electrons move through the wire from anode to cathode.

15. Ions move toward electrodes of opposite charge during electrolysis.

Answer:
True – Positive ions go to the negative electrode, and vice versa.
 🧪 Bonus Challenge
16. Write the half-equation for hydrogen ion reduction in water
electrolysis.
Answer:
2H++2e−→H2(g)2H^+ + 2e^- \rightarrow H_2(g)2H++2e−→H2(g)

17. Write the half-equation for hydroxide ion oxidation in water

electrolysis.
Answer:
4OH−→O2(g)+2H2O+4e−4OH^- \rightarrow O_2(g) + 2H_2O + 4e^-4OH−→O2(g)
+2H2O+4e−

Let me know if you want me to turn these into a printable worksheet or test version
(with blank answers), or add diagrams to match!
Tools

1. Introduction to electrolysis: electrolytes and non–electrolytes

Electrolysis is the process of electrically inducing chemical changes in a conducting melt or solution e.g.
splitting an ionic compound into the metal and non–metal or producing gases like hydrogen, oxygen and
chlorine from salt solutions.
(a) A summary of common electrical conductors
 What makes up a circuit in cells – batteries or electrolysis? What carries the current?
 Conductors are materials (solid or liquid/solution) that carry an electric current via
freely moving electrically charged particles, when a potential difference (voltage!) is applied
across them, and they include:
 All metals (molten or solid), non–metal carbon (graphite) and some recently developed
'smart materials' (which get no further mention in this section of notes).
o This conduction involves the movement of free or delocalised electrons (e – charged
particles) and does not involve any chemical change.
 That doesn't mean to say these 'electrical currents' can't promote chemical change,
which happens as we will see later in the process we call electrolysis.
 Any compound, molten or dissolved in solution, in which the liquid contains free moving
ions is called an electrolyte and can conduct an electrical current. (see non–electrolyte)
o Ions are electrically charged particles e.g. Na+ sodium ion, or Cl– chloride ion, and their
 movement or flow constitutes an electric current, in other words the electrolyte is a
solution containing mobile ions that conduct electrical energy as a stream of moving
charged particles.
o An electrolyte may consist of ...

 (i) a molten ionic compound i.e. on melting the ions are free to move to carry the
current, or
 (ii) any compound that dissolves in a liquid to give a solution of ions that are
free to move.
 The compound is usually ionic and the liquid is usually water, so in most of the
examples described, the electrolyte is an aqueous solution of ions with a
few molten salt examples.
 Note: Aqueous means to do with water, so an aqueous solution is a solution
made by dissolving something in the solvent water.
o When an electric current is passed through such an electrolyte chemical changes
can occur on the electrical contacts (called electrodes) and chemical changes
happen to break down the compound in a process called electrolysis.
o Water is very poor conductor because it is a covalent compound and only minute amounts
of it ionises to form hydrogen and hydroxide ions, so water it is not an effective
electrolyte.
 The majority of liquid water consists of covalent H 2O molecules, but there are trace
quantities of H+ and OH– ions from the self–ionisation of water,

 H2O(l) H+(aq) + OH–(aq)

 (about 1 in 200 million does this!, the reaction is reversible, so the longer half-
arrow to the left tells you that most water remains as water molecules!).
 However, once you dissolve an ionic salt like compound or a stronger acid,
water (as an aqueous solution) becomes a good electrical conductor i.e. a
good electrolyte.
 What doesn't conduct and why? why can't solid ionic compounds not conduct electricity?
o Apart from metals, most solids do not conduct electricity because there are no free
electrons or ions to carry an electric current.
o However, although molten ionic compounds and solutions in of ionic compounds in water
can carry a current (and undergo electrolysis - chemical change) solid ionic compounds
cannot conduct electricity and undergo electrolysis. This is because the ions are
tightly held in the crystal lattice and cannot move around and migrate to any electrical
contact placed on the solid.
TOP OF PAGE

(b) Apparatus for investigations - the electrolysis cell

 When an appropriate d.c. current is passed through an electrolyte, chemical changes
occur where the external circuit connections (electrodes) are dipped into the electrolyte.
o These chemical changes ONLY occur on the surface of the electrodes where they are in
contact with the electrolyte solution and (usually) elements are released as the compound
is broken down by the process called electrolysis.
o What does a simple, but complete, electrical circuit for electrolysis consist of?

 A simple cell system for electrolysis

 The electrolyte container can be made from a short piece of wide glass/plastic tubing
with a rubber bung base with two holes drilled in it to take to carbon rods as
electrodes.
 Small test tubes filled with electrolyte are inverted over the carbon electrodes.


o This even simpler set-up is recommended by the RSC and consists of two wire electrodes
bent in a S shape so the gases can be collected in little test tubes filled with the electrolyte
and inverted over the electrodes in the beaker of electrolyte.
o The diagrams above illustrate simple electrolysis experiments you will see or (hopefully) do
in a school laboratory or college laboratory.
o The electrolyte solution (in this case sulfuric acid, can be sodium chloride etc.) is
contained within the electrolysis cell (e.g. section of wide plastic piping).
o Two electrical connectors called electrodes (e.g. graphite/carbon rods) protrude upwards
into the electrolyte solution pushed through two holes drilled in a larger rubber bung. This is
the same function as the two wires in the other simpler electrolysis set-up illustrated above.
o The circuit is completed when connected to an external electrical power supply of d.c.
current, and usually a voltage of 2-3 V is quite sufficient to give a good rate of electrolysis.
o So, in sequence from the negative terminal, through the external copper wire electrons flow
clockwise from the positive electrode to the negative electrode (cathode),
then ions (NOT electrons) carry the current through the electrolyte across to
the positive electrode (anode), and then electrons again carry the current through
another external wire to the positive terminal of the battery or other power supply.
o When you switch on the d.c. power on, or connect the battery, the electrolysis process
should start. Often, but not always, you will see bubbles of gas appearing on
the electrode surface, because that's where the chemical changes we
call electrolysis take place!
o Flowing in one direction only, the electrons carry the current in the external copper wires
BUT not in the electrolyte solution. However in the electrolyte solution there are two ion
currents flowing in opposite directions, and it is important that this is understood because
no chemical change can take place if the ions are not attracted to their oppositely charged
electrode.
TOP OF PAGE

(c) What happens in electrolysis? and what products can be formed?

 All salts and many acids are good electrolytes, good electrical conductors of a d.c. current because
they provide high concentrations of positive and negative ions.
 Positive ions (cations) e.g. hydrogen H+, copper Cu2+, sodium Na+ are attracted to
the negative electrode (cathode).
o Positive cations migrate to the negative cathode.

 Negative ions (anions) e.g. chloride Cl– , sulfate SO42–, bromide Br–, are attracted to
the positive electrode (anode).
o Negative anions migrate to the positive anode.

 It is possible to demonstrate this flow using a coloured ion experiment (see diagram and text
below).
 Remember no electrons flow in the solution, but they do flow in the external metal wires or carbon
(graphite)/metal electrodes of the external circuit.
 So, what is the chemistry of electrolysis?
 When an ion meets its oppositely charged electrode, one of two things can happen. Either the ion
hangs around the electrode and does nothing OR the ion undergoes chemical change, sometimes
referred to as 'the ion is discharged'.
o The chemical changes that occur on the surface of an electrode are either
a REDUCTION (on the negative cathode electrode) or an OXIDATION (on the positive
anode electrode).
o Each of the oxidation or reduction changes is written as a half-equation, so you see the
electrons lost or gained
o At the negative cathode electrode, positive ions (cations) are attracted and these
positive ions may gain electrons and are reduced to some chemical product e.g.
typical half-reactions ...
o Either hydrogen gas or a metal deposit is formed on the negative cathode electrode.

o 2H+(aq) + 2e– ==> H2(g) (colourless hydrogen gas from acid solutions)

o Cu2+(aq) + 2e– ==> Cu(s) (copper deposit from copper sulfate solution)

o Pb2+(l) + 2e– ==> Pb(l) (lead formed from a hot molten salt)

o Al3+(l) + 3e– ==> Al(l) (aluminium formed from molten oxide)

o Note that ...

o (i) reduction = electron gain, at the negative cathode electrode,

o (ii) hydrogen and metals are formed at the negative cathode electrode,

o (iii) not all the positive ions will be discharged i.e. reduced, so in a mixture
of H+ and Na+ ions in aqueous solution, the hydrogen ions are preferentially reduced to
hydrogen, leaving the sodium ions unchanged in solution,
o AND generally speaking, the less reactive a metal, the more easily its
ion is reduced to the metal on the electrode surface e.g. in a mixture of
positive ions the preference order is
 Cu2+ (==> Cu) > H+ (==> H2) > Na+ (==> Na)
o A general rule with reference to the reactivity series of metals:

 If the metal in the salt solution is more reactive than

hydrogen, then hydrogen the hydrogen ion is most likely to be
discharged at the negative cathode giving hydrogen.
 If a reactive metal like sodium was discharged, it would
immediately react with water giving hydrogen anyway!
 If the metal in the salt solution is less reactive than hydrogen it is the metal
ion that is likely to be discharged forming a deposit of the metal on the electrode
surface.
 In practice you can get a deposit of lead from a lead nitrate solution.
o At the positive anode electrode, negative ions (anions) are attracted and these negative
ions may lose electrons and are oxidised to some chemical product e.g. typical half-
reactions ...
 A non-metal like oxygen or chlorine is released at the positive anode electrode.
 2Cl–(aq) – 2e– ==> Cl2(g) (chloride ion ==> pale green chlorine gas from NaCl)
 2Br–(l) – 2e– ==> Br2(g) (bromide ion ==> brown bromine vapour from molten
bromide)
 2O2–(l) – 4e– ==> O2(g) (oxide ion ==> colourless oxygen gas from a molten oxide)
 4OH–(aq) – 4e– ==> 2H2O(l) + O2(g) (hydroxide ==> colourless oxygen gas, from
alkaline hydroxide solution or traces of OH - from water)
 or 4OH–(aq) ==> 2H2O(l) + O2(g) + 4e–
 Note that ...
 (i) oxidation = electron loss, at the positive anode electrode,
 (ii) apart from hydrogen, other non–metals are formed at the positive anode
 electrode,
 (iii) AND not all the negative ions will be discharged i.e. oxidised, so in a mixture
of OH– and Cl– ions in aqueous solution, the chloride ions are preferentially oxidised to
chlorine, leaving most of the hydroxide ions unchanged in solution.
 Oxygen is usually produced unless a halide ion is present,
 so chloride would give chlorine, bromide gives bromine and iodide
gives iodine at the positive anode.
o All the above electrode equations showing the formation of the electrolysis
products are fully described in the context of a laboratory experiment or industrial process.
o Three 'connected' sub–notes on electrolysis investigations:

 As well as investigating the products of electrolysis, you can also vary experimental
conditions e.g. changes in voltage p.d. or electrolyte concentration can be studied.
Possible investigations can show ....
 (i) The greater the concentration of the electrolyte ions, the lower the
electrical resistance of the solution. This is because there are more ions present
to carry the current e.g. if the voltage (V, volts) is kept constant, the current flowing
(I, amps) will steadily increase as the concentration of the electrolyte is increased.
 (ii) If the electrolyte (ion) concentration is kept constant, the current will
steadily increase with increase in voltage just like any other electrical circuit
because the increase in electrical field effect from the increased p.d. (voltage) will
force the ion flow at a greater rate.
 (iii) So, increase in ion concentration (salts, acids etc.) OR increase in voltage
will increase the speed of electrolysis i.e. the electrode reactions, whether it
involves gas formation or electroplating metals etc.
 The greater the voltage, the faster the rate of electrolysis, but don't over do it!
 The molten or dissolved materials are usually acids, alkalis or salts and their electrical
conduction is usually accompanied by chemical changes e.g. decomposition.
 The chemical changes occur at the electrodes which connect the electrolyte liquid containing
ions with the external d.c. electrical supply.
o If the current is switched off, the electrolysis process stops.

 Non–electrolytes are liquids or solutions that do not contain ions, do not conduct electricity
readily and cannot undergo the process of electrolysis e.g. ethanol (alcohol), sugar solution
etc. and are usually covalent molecule liquids or solutions of covalent compounds. Even if a
covalent compound dissolves in water, if no ions are formed, there will be no electrical conduction.
 How do we know that ions move to the electrodes when a d.c. current is applied?
o The coloured ion experiment described below illustrates how you can show the slow
 movement of ions when a voltage is applies across a conducting solution of ions – the
electrolyte.
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(d) A simple experiment to show the movement of coloured ions

A rectangle of filter paper is soaked in an ammonia–ammonium chloride solution and mounted on a

microscope slide. The paper is connected to a d.c. supply with clips. A 'line' of copper chromate solution
(*) is placed in the middle of the filter paper and the current switched on. (* Using a mixture of copper(II)
sulfate and potassium chromate(VI).
The copper chromate is green–brown in solution but gradually it disappears and separates, in
different directions, into a yellow and blue bands. The yellow band is due to negative chromate
ions, CrO42––, moving towards the positive electrode. The blue band is due to positive copper ions,
Cu2+, moving towards the negative electrode. All due to opposite charges attracting in the
electric field produced by the potential difference (the voltage!).
In the electrolyte, as with any solution, ALL the particles are moving around at random, but they are not
distributed at random as the electrolysis proceeds.
During electrolysis positive ions on average move towards the negative cathode electrode,
AND the balancing negative ions on average move towards the positive anode electrode.
Both streams of moving ions constitute the electric current flowing in the electrolyte.

TOP OF PAGE

(e) Examples of diagrams to explain electrolysis and the formation of products on the
electrodes
Two examples are illustrated below, but the full electrolysis description and explanation is given on
individual web pages - see Electrochemistry INDEX.
Diagram showing the net direction of ion movement in water acidified with sulfuric acid.
Diagram showing the net direction of ion movement in molten sodium chloride
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(f) Summary of the criteria for electrolysis to take place and the splitting of a compound
 Liquids that conduct must contain freely moving ions to carry the current and complete
the circuit.
o You can't do electrolysis with an ionic solid!, the ions are too tightly held by chemical
bonds and can't flow from their ordered situation!
o The particle theory of solids still applies even if you try to pass electricity through it (apart
from graphite and metals).
o When an ionically bonded substances are melted or dissolved in water the ions
are free to move about.
 However some covalent substances dissolve in water and form ions.
 e.g. hydrogen chloride HCl, dissolves in water to form 'ionic' hydrochloric acid H +Cl–(aq)
 The solution of ions (e.g. salts, acids etc.) or melt of ions (e.g. chlorides, oxides etc.) is called
the electrolyte which forms part of the circuit. The circuit is completed by e.g. the external
 copper wiring and the (usually) inert electrodes like graphite (form of carbon) or platinum AND
electrolysis can only happen when the current is switched on and the circuit complete.
 ELECTROLYSIS SPLITS a molten ionic COMPOUND:
o When substances which are made of ions are
dissolved in water, or melted material, they can be
broken down (decomposed) into simpler substances
by passing an electric current through them.
o This process is called electrolysis and is used
extensively in the chemical industry for extracting
elements like sodium and chlorine from their
naturally occurring compounds.
o Since it requires an 'input' of energy, it is an endothermic process and costly to pay
for the electrical energy.
 During electrolysis in the electrolyte (solution or melt of free moving ions) ...
o ... positive metal or hydrogen ions move to the negative electrode (cations attracted to
cathode), e.g. in the diagram, sodium ions Na + , move to the negative electrode (–ve),
o and negatively charged ions move to the positive electrode (anions attracted to anode), e.g.
in the diagram, chloride ions Cl –, move to the positive electrode (+ve).
 The diagram shows the industrial electrolysis process (in a Down's Process Cell) to extract sodium
metal from sodium chloride (common salt). This is an example of how electrolysis is used in the
chemical industry.
 During electrolysis, gases may be given off, or metals dissolve or are deposited at the electrodes.
o Metals and hydrogen are formed at the negative electrode from positive ions by electron
gain (reduction), e.g. in molten sodium chloride
 sodium ions change to silvery grey liquid sodium
 Na+ + e– ==> Na (a reduction electrode reaction)
o and non–metals e.g. oxygen, chlorine, bromine etc. are formed from negative ions changing
on the positive electrode by electron loss (oxidation), e.g. in molten sodium chloride
 chloride ions change to green chlorine gas
 2Cl– – 2e– ==> Cl2 or 2Cl– ==> Cl2 + 2e– (an oxidation electrode reaction)
o The electrons released by the oxidation at the positive anode, flow round through the anode
and wire to the positive cathode and so bring about the reduction i.e. of the sodium ion.
 In a chemical reaction, if an oxidation occurs, a reduction must also occur too (and vice versa) so
these reactions 'overall' are called redox changes.
o You need to be able to complete and balance electrode equations or recognise
 them and maybe have to derive an overall equation for the electrolysis.
 e.g. for the electrolysis of molten sodium chloride described above, the overall
chemical change due to electrolysis can be written as ...
 2NaCl(l) ==> 2Na(l) + Cl2(g)
 At this point it is appropriate and very important to mention and use state
symbols in all electrode equations and overall chemical change equations.
 Reminder: (g) = gas, (l) = liquid, (s) = solid, (aq) = aqueous solution in
water
 e.g. for sodium chloride, NaCl(l) for the molten salt,
 NaCl(aq) or Na+ + Cl– for two possible expressions of the aqueous solution
 When dealing with the electrolysis of aqueous solutions of salts and acids in water, things can be
more complicated and sometimes several competing electrode reactions can occur at the same
time, and sometimes products differ depending on the nature of the cathode and anode
electrodes.
o There are links from the electrochemistry index page which describe in great detail
particular examples of the process of electrolysis and all can be done as college or school
student experiments or teacher demonstrations, your pupils can have great fun with these
experiments but take great care with the production of chlorine!

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