Application of Electrolysis

Application of electrolysis
Electrolysis of molten Sodium Chloride

Electrolysis of brine
Aluminum production
Purification of ores
Electroplating
Electrolysis
Electrolysis is a technique that uses direct

electric current to drive an otherwise non-
spontaneous chemical reaction.
Applications of Electrolysis
Electrolysis of molten Sodium Chloride
• Sodium chloride must be heated until it is molten before it will
conduct electricity.
• Electrolysis separates the molten ionic compound into its elements.
Electrolysis of brine (Sodium Chloride &
Water as an electrolyte Solution)
• Initially Sodium Chloride (salt) dissolve in water solution. As the electricity is supplied to the
electrolyte solution starts to conduct electricity. NaCl & H2O is breakdown into Na+, Cl– and
H2+ O– respectively.
• After conduction of electricity following reaction takes place
NaCl —– Na+ + Cl–

H2O —— H2+ + O–
• At cathode reduction takes place, formation of H• takes place from H2+ and electron coming from
battery negative terminal.
H+ + e– ——- H• (Reduction)
H• + •H ——– H2
Electrolysis of brine (Sodium Chloride &
Water as an electrolyte Solution)
• At anode Oxidation occurs, formation of Cl• takes place from Cl– and
donates an electron towards the battery positive terminal.
Cl– ——- Cl + e– (Oxidation)
Cl• + Cl ——- Cl
2
• Another Cl• which is formed at anode to form chlorine gas which is

released through the process.
• Overall reaction takes places is following within the Electrolysis
Process
H2O + NaCl —— H2 + Cl2 + NaOH
Aluminum production by electrolysis
• In 1886, 22-year-old Charles Martin Hall (1863–1914) developed a
process to produce aluminum by electrolysis.
• He used heat from a blacksmith forge, electricity from homemade
batteries, and his mother’s iron skillets as electrodes.
• At almost the same
• time, one of Le Châtelier’s students, Paul L. T. Héroult (1863–1914),
also 22 years old, discovered the same process.
• Today, it is called the Hall Héroult process .
Hall Héroult process / Aluminum production by
electrolysis
• The usual aluminum ore is bauxite. Bauxite is essentially an
impure aluminum oxide.
• At 473-523 K and 35-36 bar pressure, the powdered ore is
heated with a concentrated (45 percent) NaOH. Under these
conditions, alumina dissolves, yielding sodium meta-aluminate
and silica (SiO2) as sodium silicate while leaving impurities
behind.
• To obtain pure alumina, hydrated alumina is

filtered, washed, and finally heated to 1473 K.
• The solution is filtered (to remove undissolved impurities), cooled and its
pH is adjusted downward either by dilution or neutralization.
Hall Héroult process / Aluminum production by
electrolysis
• Electric current cannot pass through the solid form of alumina, and the melting point
of alumina is also very high. Hence, cryolite is added to alumina in a small amount to
carry out electrolysis easily.
• This mixture acts as a good conductor of electricity. Addition of feldspar also lowers
the melting point of alumina.
• Thus, a mixture of alumina, cryolite and feldspar is subjected to electrolysis to obtain
pure aluminum.
• For electrolysis, an iron vessel with an inner layer coated with carbon-layered graphite
is used. This acts as a cathode.
• The carbon rods are joined with a copper clamp and immersed in an electrolyte. These
rods act as the anode.
Hall Héroult process
• The cathode is made of graphite or gas carbon, while the
anode is made of thick carbon rods.
• To prevent the anodic rods from burning, a coke powder
coating is applied.
• This is to prevent heat loss from the electrolyte. The bath
temperature is kept around 1173K.
• Al ions reach the cathode quickly due to their lower position
in the electrochemical series. As a result, at 950 degrees
Celsius electrolyte temperature, aluminum is deposited at the
cathode and begins to melt in the tank.
• The anode generates nascent oxygen, which combines with
the coke carbon to form carbon monoxide. Carbon dioxide is
produced when carbon monoxide reacts with oxygen in the
atmosphere.
• Carbon anodes must be replaced regularly because nascent
oxygen reacts with them.
 The position of the metal on the reactivity series
determines the method of extraction
 Higher placed metals (above carbon) have to be
extracted using electrolysis as they are too reactive
and cannot be reduced by carbon
 Lower placed metals can be extracted by heating with
carbon which reduces
 Electrolysis is very expensive as large amounts of
energy are required to melt the ores and produce the
electrical current
 The reactivity series of metals is shown below with the
corresponding method of extraction
Purification of ores
• Copper can be extracted from copper-rich ores by heating the ores in
a furnace (roasting and smelting).
• Most copper is mined in the form of the ores Chalcopyrite (CuFeS2),
Chalcocite (Cu2S), and Malachite (Cu2CO3(OH )2).
• Roasting and smelting both produce poisonous sulfur dioxide (SO2).
• Thereafter, the impure copper formed can be purified by electrolysis.
 The copper obtained from this process contains many
impurities and must be refined, so the molten copper is
cast into large, thick plates. These plates are then used
as an anode in an electrolytic cell containing a solution
of copper(II) sulfate.
 The cathode of the cell is a thin
sheet of pure copper.
Electroplating
• Electroplating involves the deposition of a layer of metal on top of

another metal.
• Often the silverware you see on dinner tables is cheap iron coated
with a thin layer of silver.
• This is done by a process called electroplating in an electrolytic cell.
Electroplating
 As is shown in the animation, the metal we wish to coat is

placed on the negative terminal of the power source.
 This is then immersed in an electrolyte that contains ions of
the metal we wish to coat with, in this case, silver ions. To
the positive terminal we connect a silver metal.
 At the anode, silver is oxidized to silver ions as electrons

are removed by the power source.
 At the cathode, the silver ions are reduced to silver metal
by electrons from the external power source.
 The silver forms a thin coating over the object being
plated.
Ag(s) => Ag+(aq)+ e

Ag+(aq)+ e => Ag(s)
Electroplating

Application of Electrolysis

Uploaded by

Copyright:

Available Formats

Application of Electrolysis

Uploaded by

Document Information

Original Title

Copyright

Available Formats

Share this document

Share or Embed Document

Sharing Options

Did you find this document useful?

Is this content inappropriate?

Copyright:

Available Formats

Application of Electrolysis

Uploaded by

Copyright:

Available Formats

Application of electrolysis

Electrolysis of molten Sodium Chloride

Electrolysis is a technique that uses direct

NaCl —– Na+ + Cl–

• Another Cl• which is formed at anode to form chlorine gas which is

• To obtain pure alumina, hydrated alumina is

• Electroplating involves the deposition of a layer of metal on top of

 As is shown in the animation, the metal we wish to coat is

 At the anode, silver is oxidized to silver ions as electrons

Ag(s) => Ag+(aq)+ e

You might also like