Question

Water is broken down into its constituent elements _________ and __________.

• A. Hydrogen
• B. Oxygen

Answer 1

Water:

• Water is a compound that is composed of hydrogen and oxygen atoms.
• The chemical formula of water is ${\mathrm{H}}_2\mathrm{O}$.
• Water can be broken down into its constituents and elements via the process of electrolysis.

The electrolysis of water is shown below:

• The chemical reaction taking place at the cathode can be depicted as:

$2{\mathrm{H}}_2\mathrm{O}\left(\mathrm{l}\right)+2{\mathrm{e}}^{-}\to {\mathrm{H}}_2\left(\mathrm{g}\right)+2{\mathrm{OH}}^{-}\left(\mathrm{aq}\right)$

• The chemical reaction taking place at the anode can be depicted as:

$2{\mathrm{H}}_2\mathrm{O}\left(\mathrm{l}\right)\to {\mathrm{O}}_2\left(\mathrm{g}\right)+4{\mathrm{H}}^{+}\left(\mathrm{aq}\right)+4{\mathrm{e}}^{-}$

Thus, Water is broken down into its constituent elements Hydrogen and Oxygen.