6. Electrolysis of molten solutions

Available for over a year

In the first of three episodes on electrolysis, Dr Sunayana Bhargava and Tulela Pea explore electrolysis of molten ionic compounds. They define electrodes and electrolytes. Suitable for: AQA, Edexcel, OCR. For more information on electrolysis of molten solutions, check out the BBC Bitesize website: https://www.bbc.co.uk/bitesize/guides/z9h9v9q/revision/1 Key learning objectives discussed in this episode include: - When an ionic compound is melted or dissolved in water, the ions are free to move about within the liquid or solution. These liquids and solutions are able to conduct electricity and are called electrolytes. - Passing an electric current through electrolytes causes the ions to move to the electrodes. Positively charged ions move to the negative electrode (the cathode), and negatively charged ions move to the positive electrode (the anode). Ions are discharged at the electrodes producing elements. This process is called electrolysis. - When a simple ionic compound (eg lead bromide) is electrolysed in the molten state using inert electrodes, the metal (lead) is produced at the cathode and the non-metal (bromine) is produced at the anode. - Students should be able to predict the products of the electrolysis of binary ionic compounds in the molten state.