![]() ![]() ![]() That means that the more negative the E° value, the greater the tendency for one of these elements to lose electrons and form their ions. The more negative the E° value (usually read as "E-nought"), the further to the left the position of equilibrium lies. The table below lists a few metals (and hydrogen) showing their tendency to lose electrons. That means that you may have more than one ion arriving at each electrode, and there can be a choice over which gets discharged.įor example, if you electrolysed sodium chloride solution, sodium ions and hydrogen ions (from the water) are both attracted to the cathode, and chloride ions and hydroxide ions (from the water) are both attracted to the anode You should know that a hydrogen ion doesn't exist on its own in these circumstances - it actually joins to another water molecule to give a hydroxonium ion, H 3O +. Water itself is a very weak electrolyte, because it splits to a very small extent into hydrogen ions and hydroxide ions. The situation is more complicated when you electrolyse a solution rather than a melt because of the presence of the water. The role of water in the electrolysis of aqueous solutions of electrolytes Most people will have met quite a lot of this in chemistry courses for 14 - 16 year olds. This page looks at the electrolysis of aqueous solutions of compounds.
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