d. If sodium bromide was used in the experiment in place of sodium chloride, state and explain one difference you would expect to observe during the electrolysis.
Introduction
The addition or removal of electrons from the external circuit causes an exchange of ions and atoms during the electrolysis process. In essence, as current flows, cations go to the cathode, grab electrons there, and then discharge into the neutral atom. If neutral atoms are solid, they deposit on the cathode, and if they are gases, they flow upward. This is a reduction process, and the cathode is where the action is reduced. At the same time, anions donate their additional electrons to the anode where they are oxidized to neutral atoms.
The electrical circuit is completed when the anions' released electrons cross it and arrive at the cathode. Both an oxidation reaction at the anode and a reduction reaction at the cathode occur simultaneously during electrolysis.
For instance, when molten sodium chloride is exposed to electric current, the sodium ion is drawn to the cathode and then takes an electrode to transform into a sodium atom.
Reaching the anode, the chloride ion donates its electron to the chlorine atom, which then creates the chlorine molecule.
While the electrolysis method is beneficial for extracting elements directly from compounds, it can also be employed inadvertently for compound preparation, metal purification, metal deposition, and the metallurgy of alkali and alkaline earth metals, among other things.
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