Chemistry 30

3.1 Introduction to Electrolysis

Think of electrolysis and electrolytic cells as the opposite of electrochemical cells:

	Electrochemical Cells		Electrolytic Cells
Energy conversion	Chemical → Electrical		Electrical → Chemical
Spontaneous chemical reaction?	Yes		No
Value of E°	Positive		Negative

In an electrochemical cell, a spontaneous redox reaction is used to create an electric current; in an electrolytic cell the reverse will occur - an electric current will be required in order to cause a non-spontaneous chemical reaction to occur.

We will look at three examples of the electrolytic process, keeping our discussion on a very basic level - the electrolysis of molten sodium chloride, the electrolysis of water, and electroplating.