Electricity & Chemistry

IGCSE Chemistry
Overview
• Oxidation & Reduction
• Redox Equation
• Electrolytic cells
• Electrolysis of lead(II) bromide
• Electrolysis of aluminium oxide
• Electrolysis of aqueous solutions
• Electrolysis of concentrated hydrochloric acid
• Electrolysis of copper(II) sulfate solution
• Electrolysis guidelines
• Electroplating
Oxidation & Reduction
Oxidation  the loss of electrons
Reduction  the gain of electrons

Example:
Mg  Mg2+ + 2e- (oxidation)
O2 + 4e-  2O2- (reduction)

Half-equation. Why?
Oxidation & Reduction
Oxidation  an increase in
oxidation number
Reduction  a decrease in
oxidation number

Example:
SO2 + NO2  SO3 + NO
Which reactant has been oxidized
and which one has been reduced?
Oxidation & Reduction
Exercise
Redox Equations

This can be written as two half-equations:

Redox Equations
Redox Equations
Redox Equations
Redox Equations
Redox Equations
Redox Equations
Consider the following reaction:

Which reactant goes with oxidation and which one goes with
reduction?
So, in here we can see that chloride ions act as spectator ions (they are
not involved, but merely ‘watch’ the reaction). Therefore, the redox
equation can be written as follows
Redox Equations
Therefore, the half-equations can be written as follow
Redox Equations
Exercises
Redox Equations
Exercises
Redox Equations
Exercises
Redox Equations
Exercises
Redox Equations
Exercises
Electrolysis

Electrolysis  a process involving electricity

… the breakdown of an ionic compound, molten or in solution, by the
passage of electricity through it
Electrolysis
Electrolysis
Review
What is electrolysis?
breaking down by electricity
any liquid that contains ions will
conduct electricity.
Why?
 ions (not electrons) are free to move
 at the same time, decomposition
takes place
Electrolysis
Some terminologies:
- Cation: Positive ions. Example: Na+
- Anion: Negative ions. Example: Cl-
- Electrode: usually made of graphite, a fairly inert non-
metal which conducts electricity.
- Cathode: Electrode that attracts positive ions (cations) /
which reduction occurs
M+ + e-  M
- Anode: Electrode that attracts negative ions (anions) /
which oxidation occurs
X-  X + e -
- Electrolyte: a solution or a molten compound that will
conduct electricity, with decomposition at the electrodes
as it does so. Electrolytes contain ions that are free to
move towards the electrodes.
Electrolysis

- Electrolyte: PbBr2 (l)

- Cation: Pb2+
- Anion: 2Br-
- Anode: 2Br- (l)  Br2 (g) + 2e-
- Cathode: Pb2+ (l) + 2e-  Pb (l)
Electrolysis
Summary:
• Electrons travel from the negative pole of the battery to the negative
electrode.
• The positive ions in the electrolyte move towards the negative
electrode. At the negative electrode, electrons are transferred to the
positive ions. The negative ions move towards the positive electrode.
At the positive electrode the extra electron(s) from the negative ion
is/are transferred to the electrode.
• The electrons released from the negative ions travel through the
external circuit to the positive pole of the battery.
Electrolysis
Summary:
• Electrons are taken from the external circuit at the negative electrode
(by the positive ions) and given back to the external circuit at the
positive electrode (by the negative ions).
• The circuit is completed, but the electrons that flow into the positive
side of the battery are not the ones that flowed out of the negative
side of the battery.
• No electrons travel through the electrolyte.
Electrolysis
Summary:
The transfer of charge during electrolysis is by:
• the movement of electrons in the metallic or graphite electrodes
• the removal or addition of electrons from the external circuit at the
electrodes
• the movement of ions in the electrolyte.
Electrolysis
Electrolysis of molten lead bromide

Electrolyte: PbBr2 (l)

- Cation: Pb2+
- Anion: 2Br-
- Anode: 2Br- (l)  Br2 (g) + 2e-
- Cathode: Pb2+ (l) + 2e-  Pb (l)
Electrolysis
Electrolysis of molten lead bromide
Electrolysis
Electrolysis of molten lead bromide
The result is that the lead bromide has decomposed:

Note that:
- Electrons carry the current through the wires and electrodes.
But the ions carry it through the liquid.
- The graphite electrodes are inert. They carry the current into
the liquid, but remain unchanged. (Electrodes made of
platinum are also inert.)
Electrolysis
Electrolysis of other ionic molten
Electrolysis breaks the molten ionic compound down to its
elements, giving the metal at the cathode, and the non-metal
at the anode.

Example
How would molten NaCl be electrolyzed?
Electrolysis
The products of electrolysis of a molten salt
• Electrolysis of molten aluminium oxide (Al2O3)

• Electrolysis of molten potassium chloride (KCl2)

Electrolysis
Electrolysis of aqueous solution
Besides in molten, electrolysis can be carried out on solutions
on ionic compounds in water. Why?
Ions in solutions are free to move.
But the result of electrolysis might be different that for the
molten compound.
Example
Electrolyte At the Cathode (-) you get … At the Anode (+) you get …
Molten NaCl sodium Chlorine
Solution of sodium chlorine hydrogen Chlorine
Electrolysis
Electrolysis of aqueous solution
Electrolyte At the Cathode (-) you get … At the Anode (+) you get …
Molten NaCl sodium Chlorine
Solution of sodium chlorine hydrogen Chlorine

How could it happen?

Because water also produces ions.
Electrolysis
Electrolysis of aqueous solution
The rules of electrolysis of solution:
At the cathode (-), either a metal or hydrogen forms.
1) The more reactive an element, the more it ‘likes’ to exist as ions.
So if a metal is more reactive than hydrogen, its ions stay in
solution and hydrogen bubbles off. (Look at the list on the right.)
2) But if the metal is less reactive than hydrogen, the metal forms.
At the anode (+), a non-metal other than hydrogen forms.
1) If it is a concentrated solution of a halide (a compound
containing Cl2, Br2 or I2 ions), then chlorine, bromine, or iodine
form.
2) But if the halide solution is dilute, or there is no halide, oxygen
forms.
Electrolysis
Electrolysis of aqueous solution
Electrolysis
Exercise!
Reaction at the Electrodes
What happens to ions in the molten lead bromide?
Reaction at the Electrodes
What happens to ions in a concentrated solution of sodium chloride?
Reaction at the Electrodes
What happens to ions in a dilute solution of sodium chloride?
Reaction at the Electrodes
Writing the half-equations for electrode reactions
Reaction at the Electrodes