Question

What is the chlor-alkali process and why it is called so?

Answer 1

Chlor-alkali process:

• Chlor-alkali process is the one in which an electricity is passed through an aqueous solution of Sodium chloride or Brine($\mathrm{NaCl}$), which will decomposes to form Sodium hydroxide($\mathrm{NaOH}$).
• It is called so because the products formed in this process are Chlorine(${\mathrm{Cl}}_2$) and Sodium hydroxide.
• Here in this process, the term chlor stands for the product Chlorine and alkali is for Sodium hydroxide.
• The balanced chemical reaction of Chlor-alkali process can be written as:

$$\begin{gathered} 2\mathrm{NaCl}\left(\mathrm{aq}\right)+2{\mathrm{H}}_2\mathrm{O}\left(\mathrm{l}\right)\to 2\mathrm{NaOH}\left(\mathrm{aq}\right)+{\mathrm{Cl}}_2\left(\mathrm{g}\right)+{\mathrm{H}}_2\left(\mathrm{g}\right) \\ (\mathrm{Sodium}\mathrm{chloride})\left(\mathrm{Water}\right)(\mathrm{Sodium}\mathrm{hydroxide})(\mathrm{Chlorine}\mathrm{gas})(\mathrm{Hydrogen}\mathrm{gas}) \end{gathered}$$