What is Electrolysis: Definition and 222 Discussions

In chemistry and manufacturing, electrolysis is a technique that uses direct electric current (DC) to drive an otherwise non-spontaneous chemical reaction. Electrolysis is commercially important as a stage in the separation of elements from naturally occurring sources such as ores using an electrolytic cell. The voltage that is needed for electrolysis to occur is called the decomposition potential. The word "lysis" means to separate or break, so in terms, electrolysis would mean either "breakdown of electricity" or "breakdown via electricity".

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  1. OmCheeto

    Electrolysis, water, and various metals

    I did an experiment, prompted by another thread, and saw something you kids probably see all the time: I was trying to measure the resistance of seawater, and came up with ≈11Ω. End of experiment, or so I thought... But then I decided that my battery voltage was a bit low and decided...
  2. O

    How Does Faraday's Law of Electrolysis Apply to Reversible Reactions?

    According to Wikipedia Faraday's electrolysis law is n_i = \frac{Q_{passed}}{Fz_i} Where n_i is moles of species i, which has charge z_i, liberated at electrode. Q_passed is the charge that has passed, which is function of time t. How is this law derived and are there any approximations taken...
  3. G

    Potential energy of water from electrolysis

    Could I please have help with something: If I generated hydrogen via electrolysis from water, sent it high up a long tube then converted it back to water (via a cell or motor to reclaim energy) then, taking into account inefficiencies (or assume no energy loss), where does the energy come from...
  4. H

    Electrolysis of Iron(II)Sulphate

    Homework Statement I am given a 1 M solution of Iron(II)sulphate(aq) and it is being electrolyzed using inert electrodes . What will form on the cathode ? Homework Equations Reduction potentials of : Fe =-0.44V of water to from hydrogen : -0.83V The Attempt at a Solution Since...
  5. C

    How can I perform electrolysis on CO2?

    I want a way to perform electrolysis on CO2, in order to split it into carbon and oxygen atoms. Does anyone have any ideas on how I could do this?
  6. G

    Commercial Scale Desalination via Electrolysis

    Gday all, ive been trying to find out why electrolysis isn't used / less feasible than RO in sea water desalination? The chemistry for NaCl electrolysis is well understood and thus works, so why is it not feasible/less feasible than say RO whereby we are essentially pumping water through a...
  7. B

    Obtaining free metals through electrolysis and compound relationship questions

    I am studying for a test next tuesday, and I am having trouble on a couple of questions. The questions are... Question 1: Which of the following compounds would you expect to have to undergo electrolysis to obtain free metals? explain your choice. a. KCl b. Ag2O c. Fe2O3...
  8. G

    Electrolysis Cell Design. (Not for Car)

    Hello all. As the title has informed you, I wish to make an water electrolysis cell that can not only produce hydrogen, but also store it completely separate from the oxygen (Again, I promise you, it is not for fuel. Now, your probably wondering why I don't just make the typical...
  9. J

    An electrolysis reaction: Silver electrode and cathode, Rochelle Salt solution

    Hi I'm new to the forum, so first I want to say hello to everyone. I have been interested in Colloidal Silver lately, and I have produced it with electrolysis in distilled water with NaCl as an electrolyte. I have used a Silver electrode and cathode for both of these experiments. I...
  10. B

    Electrolysis of Water: Harnessing Oxygen & Identifying Gas

    About 10 minutes ago, I was using my old playstation 2 power converter to perform electroysis on water. If I am correct, hydrogen is supposed to be formed at the cathode and hydrogen is colorless. However, when I started to see little bubbles rise the cathode which i assumed to be hydrogen, I...
  11. HelloCthulhu

    Saltwater Electrolysis - Adding HCl

    Greetings forum! I'm experimenting with saltwater electrolysis and have a few questions. I'm using a salt solution I've prepared overnight. The solution has about 2 parts water, 6 parts salt, so I will essentially be electrolyzing brine at the beginning of the experiment (For safety, the...
  12. K

    Electrolysis of water(ion and electrode)

    I'm new to this forum, I am studying in grade 9 and I am working on my electrolysis project but I had trouble understanding about ion and electrode (this is not my homework, I just don't understand) why does positive ion attract to negative electrode, I know that positive should attract...
  13. I

    In electrolysis of NaCl. How does CL become 1/2CL2?

    Na+ + CI- → Na + 1/2C12 How is it Cl becomes Cl2? (what about conservation?) and why does it become diatomic?
  14. E

    Kolbe electrolysis - can you help me?

    I don't know how to complete this chemical equation using Kolbe. HCOONa+CH3COONa+H2O---> (electrolyse)
  15. S

    Electrolysis and electroplating electrolytes and oxidation states

    When electrplating copper with a dilute NaCl aqueous solution and the anode is iron while cathode is platinum what will the results be? Will copper form cations or will the OH- be oxidised? Also, if we use concentrated NaCl will there be any difference? I'm thinking that the copper shouldn't be...
  16. F

    Electrolysis of brine produced white stuff.

    As a casual experiment I was seeing whether I could make hydrogen from sodium hydroxide, aluminium and water. Rather than buy sodium hydroxide or go through a load of cleaning products to find it, I thought it would be much more fun to produce it through electrolysis. I set it up, and the...
  17. L

    Why is the voltmeter connected in series in electrolysis?

    Hi guys, I was wondering, in the process of electrolysis when we are looking at a galvanic CELL, meaning a battery, why is it that when we want to measure the voltage caused by using the two metals of different elements, we connect the voltmeter in series to the external circuit? If you...
  18. S

    Electrolysis of molten carbonates and sulfates

    sodium and potassium carbonate and sulfate are the only ones in their respective anions group that can melt. However, both carbonate CO3 2- and sulfate SO4 2- cannot be discharged. Then, if i want to get pure sodium from sodium carbonate or sulfate how will i attain them? Do i have to increase...
  19. S

    Electrolysis of aqeuous solutions

    When I use inert electrodes for a solution of Copper (ii) sulfate. So the oxidation at the anode is OH- while reduction at the cathode is the copper ions. However, what will happen if I continue the experiment? There is a definite amount of sulfate so does the hydroxide oxidise until the amount...
  20. C

    Hydrogen peroxide production in water electrolysis

    I'm trying to understand my textbook's answer to the following problem: Q: Electrolysis can under certain circumstances result in the production of hydrogen peroxide. At which electrode will this occur, cathode or anode? A: During the formation of hydrogen peroxide from water, oxygen is...
  21. C

    Electrolysis (Chemistry) with electrochemical cell

    How does concentration of solution (So42) affect the voltage in a electro-chemical cell?
  22. J

    Electrolysis when multiple ions present

    What are the products of electrolysis of brine solution? At cathode i know it will be hydrogen But i am confused about the products at anode:- Either water will get oxidised or chlorine. Considering the oxidation potential values - water should get converted to oxygen but practically...
  23. A

    Building H20 electrolysis cell, need advice

    I don't happen to have any welding equipment available to me, so I have decided to make an oxyhydrogen welding torch. That basically involves splitting water by electrolysis, running it through a tube with a blowback arrestor and burning it on the other end. I have read that the voltage should...
  24. M

    Electrochemists brain teaser-copper electrolysis

    Hi all, I have some history in practical electrochemistry, and have, I think, a reasonable uderstanding of the basics of Redox reactions and ½ cells. Recently, I have been thinking about a project, and it has me in a complete quandry. There’s probably something obvious that I’m missing, but...
  25. A

    Electrolysis: compensating for increasing current

    Hi folks. I need some help with a electrolysis setup I'm going to put together. One of my hobbies is gardening and I've recently decided to begin breeding my own strains of plants. I've heard that colloidal silver is very effective when it comes to deliberately producing male plants - that if...
  26. H

    Why are carbon electrodes neutral in electrolysis of water?

    What is it about the atomic makeup of carbon electrodes that makes them neutral in electrolysis?
  27. E

    Electrolysis Products: NaCL vs MgCL: 9th Grader's Science Fair

    I am a 9th grader working on a science fair project to determine which salt, NaCL or MgCL produces the most hydrogen gas through electrolysis. I used 1.5 ml of water for each, and 17.5 mg of each salt respectively. After 1 hour of applying a 2.5 amp current through each sample, the NaCL solution...
  28. C

    Electrolysis of Water: Oxygen & Hydrogen Travel

    When you see the bubbles coming off of the 2 electrodes in the water, why don't you see bubbles traveling in the water to the electrodes? When the water molecule splits, the oxygen and hydrogen would have to travel to their electrodes, so why don't you see them do this? And also what causes the...
  29. P

    Calculating Time for Electrolysis of Water

    greetings I'd like you to check my calculations. The task is to calculate the time needed to produce 10 moles of hydrogen from water by electrolysis with a current of 1Amp. I first wrote the equation of the reaction that occurs on the cathode 2H2O+2e- = H2 +2OH- Then I derived the...
  30. C

    Electrolysis in ionic substances

    Homework Statement Predicting the products of electrolysis Ionic substances in solution break down into elements during electrolysis. Different elements are released depending on the particular ionic substance. At the negative electrode, positively charged ions gain electrons. This...
  31. T

    Containing Electrolysis Underwater

    If the process of electrolysis is contained underwater would it work like it is supposed to?
  32. P

    Electrolysis hydrogen peroxide

    Can someone tell me how you make hydrogen peroxide through electrolysis?
  33. S

    Al OH3 Electrolysis: Yield Al, H2O, O2?

    Does electrolyzing molten aluminum hydroxide yield aluminum, water, and oxygen? The equation can be balanced so that it does, but does this really happen?
  34. Runei

    What is Plasma Electrolysis and How Can It Produce Cold Fusion?

    I don't know if this is the right topic to put it under. But I am looking for some information about plasma electrolysis. Does anybody know anything about this - or perhaps know where I can read about it? Google doesn't give the best links.
  35. S

    Products of aluminum sulfate electrolysis

    I could not find anything online indicating that such was so, but... If electrolysis of a solution of zinc sulfate results in zinc and sulfuric acid, is it also correct that electrolyzing a solution of aluminum sulfate will result in aluminum and sulfuric acid?
  36. R

    Figuring out electrolysis at higher temps and pressures

    Ok so I am working my way around fuel cell technology and i was trying to see the energy requirements for the breaking of the water into hyrdogen and oxygen. I was looking at http://hyperphysics.phy-astr.gsu.edu/hbase/thermo/electrol.html and it outlines the thermodynamic process for the amount...
  37. A

    Brine Electrolysis: Why Is the Solution Turning Yellowish?

    Hi, i have been trying to electrolyze brine having carbon as anode and cathode as well;; but i don't understand why the solution is turning yellowish. Can anyone explain it ? thanks.
  38. M

    Best* Electrolyte for Water Electrolysis

    Hey guys, looking for the best* electrolyte. * Temperature range of the electrolyte(Water will be pressurized so temperatures may exceed 100°C) Conductivity Efficiency (Heat, Mole H2/Mole Electrolyte) Stability I scouted the web, some said KOH, H2SO4 others Fe(NO3)3. So I'd just...
  39. M

    Electrolysis of aq CuCl2 with Ag electrode

    I have a question on electrolysis: In the electrolysis of aq Copper (II) Chloride using silver electrodes, what are the products? Cathode : Copper or silver are deposited here? cos both are in the solution anode : silver electrode decrease in size... with silver deposits? Am I correct?
  40. F

    Possible explanation for the exothermic reaction during electrolysis of water?

    Possible Exothermic Reactions? Hi there, I've been doing some experimentation lately, but have come to a wall in terms of ideas for a possible explanation. In a solution of only water and 0.5Mol Potassium Carbonate Electrolyte, a high electrical charge is passed through a tungsten...
  41. C

    AC to DC Converter for Electrolysis hobby

    Hello All, I am interested in constructing a small Hofmann apparatus for electrolysis (as a hobby), like this kind: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hofmann_voltameter" I am confronted with the choice of either using a bunch of 9V batteries, or some kind of AC/DC rectifier. As I am a...
  42. S

    Experimenting with Electrolysis: Mystery of Yellow Water

    So, today I was bored and decided to play around with some water and electricity. I took a 9v battery and attached 2 steel wires at both terminals, then I attached 2 steel screws to the ends of the wires. I used a bit of NaCl to speed up the process too. When I placed the electrodes in the...
  43. C

    Enclosed Electrolysis of Water Question

    Scenario: Let's say we have ONLY 100% water in an enclosed container that cannot be penetrated. If we run current through it, and the water is completely split into hydrogen and oxygen, then will it: -Recombine to reform the water? OR -Stay separated at the extremely high pressure? And if...
  44. A

    Solving the Electrolysis Dilemma

    I tried to set up a electrolysis cell to produce hydrogen and oxygen. I used 2 stainless steel plates in KOH it worked fine. The problem came about when I tried to replace the 2 plates with a stack of 5 or 6 pairs of plates wired + - + - + etc. All the positive plates were wired...
  45. I

    Electrodes for use in the electrolysis of water

    Ok so I just have a few questions. I've been reading up on the electrolysis of water and just read a few things about electrodes. The article I was reading supports the use of inert metals such platinum and stainless steel, but it also included carbon. I've actually used carbon to decompose...
  46. A

    Reduce diffusion effects in electrolysis

    How could i reduce the effect of diffusion of ions in an electrolysis cell. e.g AgNO3 Ag+ Stirring constanly would help? but that's not easily kept fair or constant. Could i replace this idea with rotating electrodes? Many Thanks, Adam
  47. A

    Electrolysis C/W contd. Variables help

    I have the marked draft of my coursework, its 36/40 but I need to improve 3 things. I need to expand on the Variables I have listed on my coursework, i have done half of them but I am having trouble on the others. Heres the vaiables, the bold is what I've added. Any help is much appreciated...
  48. Y

    Electrolysis of a molten sulphate

    During the electrolysis of a molten sulphate, for example Chromium sulphate. At the cathode, chromium forms but what forms at the anode? Is it sulphur dioxide and oxygen?
  49. H

    Renewable hydrogen electrolysis system, advice needed

    Hello I'm currently in the middle of a dissertation project, a feasibility study of a tidal/hydrogen generation system. At the moment I'm getting pretty bogged down trying to model the electrolyser. I'd like it to be more detailed than simply power in*conversion efficiencies. In particular...
  50. A

    Electrolysis, charge of ions.

    Hi, my names Adam, this is my first post I am in year 10 UK (10th grade i believe) This is not a homework question, its advice towards the analysis of my chemistry coursework. Im predicted an A* in chemistry so this is why my experiment is more complicated than others in my class.I based my...
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