Electrolysis of Sodium Chloride.
This page shows the electrolysis of pure sodium
chloride.
You get different products if
the
sodium chloride is dissolved in
water.
Sodium
chloride must be
heated until it is molten
before it
will conduct electricity.
Electrolysis separates the
molten ionic compound into its
elements.
The reactions at each electrode are called half
equations.
The half equations are written so that
the same number of electrons
occur in each equation.
2Na+ + 2e- 
2Na (sodium
metal at the (-)cathode).
2Cl- -
2e-
Cl2
(chlorine gas at the (+)anode).
Sodium ions
gain
electrons (reduction) to form
sodium atoms.
Chloride ions lose
electrons (oxidation) to form
chlorine atoms.
The chlorine atoms combine to form molecules of
chlorine gas.
The overall reaction is
2Na+Cl-(l)
2Na(s)
+ Cl2(g)
See some other examples of electrolysis.
Links Electrolysis
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