ELECTROLYSIS

• Electrolysis - is the breakdown of an ionic compound, molten or in aqueous, by the passage

of electricity through it.
• An electrolyte is a substance that conducts electricity when in the molten state or in solution,
and is broken down by it.
• Strong electrolytes include strong acids, strong alkalis, and salts e.g hydrochloric acid,
sulfuric acid, sodium chloride. The electricity is carried through the electrolyte by ions. In the
molten state and in solution the ions are free to move to the appropriate electrodes due to
weakened forces of attraction between them.
• In the solid state, electrolytes cannot conduct electricity because the particles are held
together by strong electrostatic forces. The solid has to be melted first, or dissolved in water,
so that the ions separate and become mobile.
• Substances that do not conduct electricity when in the molten state or in solution are called
non - electrolytes. e.g sugar and all covalent substances except organic acids.
• Substances that conduct electricity to a small extent in the molten state or in solution are
called weak electrolytes, e.g weak acids and weak alkalis
• The electric current enters and leaves the electrolyte through electrodes, which are usually
made of unreactive metals such as platinum or of the nonmetal carbon (graphite). These are
said to be inert electrodes because they do not react with the products of electrolysis.
• The cathode is the negative electrode, it attracts cations (positively charged ions), and the
anode is the positive electrode, it attracts anions (negatively charged ions).
• The transfer of charge (flow of electric current) during electrolysis is by:
• the movement of electrons in the metallic or graphite electrodes
• the movement of electrons in the external circuit and at the electrodes
• the movement of ions in the electrolyte.
 Diagram showing an electrolytic cell.

Electrolysis of Molten Compounds : Electrolysis of molten lead (II) bromide

• A binary ionic compound is one consisting of just two elements joined together by ionic
bonding. When these compounds undergo electrolysis they always produce their
corresponding elements
• To predict the products made at each electrode, first identify the ions. The positive ion
will migrate towards the cathode and the negative ion will migrate towards the anode
• Therefore, the cathode product will always be the metal, and the product formed at the
anode will always be the non-metal
• solid lead (II) bromide (PbBr2) does not conduct electricity so when the electrodes are
first connected, the bulb does not light
• so it is put in a crucible and heated till it melts, then the two carbon (graphite) electrodes
are inserted while heating continues to keep it molten.
• When the lead bromide becomes molten, the bulb lights up. The lead (II) bromide is now
behaving as an electrolyte.
At the cathode
• Lead (II) ions migrate to the cathode
• Each lead ion gains 2 electrons from the cathode and is reduced to lead atoms
• a grey lead metal deposits on the surface of the electrode
Pb2+ + 2e- Pb (l) reduction half-equation

At the anode
• Bromide ions migrate to the anode
• Each bromide ion loses an electron to the anode, and is oxidized to bromine atoms
• Two bromine atoms combine to form a bromine molecule
-
2Br (l) Br2 (g) + 2e- oxidation half-equation
• Observation: An orange red - vapour is observed around the anode

Overall equation for the reaction or chemical change:

molten lead(ii) bromide → bromine + lead
PbBr2(l) → Br2 (g) + Pb(l)
Thus, Lead (II) bromide has been split up into lead and bromine. A chemical change has taken
place.