Chapter 11, Problem 82E

a. In the electrolysis of an aqueous solution of ${\text{Na}}_{\text{2}}{\text{SO}}_{\text{4}}$ ,what reactions occur at the anode and the cathode(assuming standard conditions)?

b. When water containing a small amount (~0.01 M)of sodium sulfate is electrolyzed, measurement ofthe volume of gases generated consistently gives aresult that the volume ratio of hydrogen to oxygenis not quite 2:1. To what do you attribute this discrepancy?Predict whether the measured ratio isgreater than or less than 2:1.