What can we get from the electrolysis of NaCl in dissolved state?

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What can we get from the electrolysis of NaCl in dissolved state?

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Answer 1 · 2018-07-02T05:08:52

Hydrogen gas and chlorine gas

Explanation:

In electrolysis of $N a C l (a q)$ $NaCl(aq)$ , we have $N a^{+}$ $Na^+$ and $C l^{-}$ $Cl^-$ aqueous ions, and also water molecules $(H_{2} O)$ $(H_2O)$ . When a current passes through, the water molecules also split into $H^{+}$ $H^+$ ions and $O H^{-}$ $OH^-$ ions.

Since sodium is more reactive than hydrogen, it would have a higher tendency to stay as an ion, and so hydrogen will get reduced at the cathode, forming hydrogen gas.

The reduction equation for that is:

$2 H^{+} + 2 e^{-} \to H_{2} (g) ↑ ⏐$ $2H^++2e^(-)->H_2(g)uarr$

At the anode, chlorine ions get oxidized to form chlorine gas opposed to hydroxide ions $(O H^{-})$ $(OH^-)$ . That's because the concentration of chlorine ions is greater than the hydroxide ions, and the reduction of $C l^{-}$ $Cl^-$ ions is more practical.

The oxidation equation is then:

$2 C l^{-} - 2 e^{-} \to C l_{2} (g) ↑ ⏐$ $2Cl^(-)-2e^(-)->Cl_2(g)uarr$

And then, $O H^{-}$ $OH^-$ ions and $N a^{+}$ $Na^+$ ions are therefore left in the solution. They combine to make sodium hydroxide $(N a O H)$ $(NaOH)$ . This is used to make bleach and many other products.

Together, this is one of the fundamental processes in the chlor-alkali industry, and this process can be called the electrolysis of brine.

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What can we get from the electrolysis of NaCl in dissolved state?

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