Question

What is the principle of electrolytic refining?

Answer 1

Principle of Electrolytic refining

• The principle of electrolytic refining is to get high purity metals.
• Copper and zinc are refined by using this method.

Process of electrolytic refining

• The impure metal is used as the anode in this process.
• As a cathode, a strip of the same metal is used in pure form.
• They are immersed in an electrolytic bath containing a soluble metal salt.
• The less basic metals end up in the anode mud, whereas the more basic metals stay in the solution.

Example

• Copper is refined using an electrolytic method. Anodes are of impure copper and pure copper strips are taken as the cathode.
• The electrolyte is acidified solution of copper sulfate and the net result of electrolysis is the transfer of copper in pure form from the anode to the cathode:

$$\begin{gathered} \text{Anode}:\text{Cu}\to {\text{Cu}}^{\text{2+}}+2e^{–} \\ \text{Cathode}:{\text{Cu}}^{\text{2+}}+2e^{–}\to \text{Cu} \end{gathered}$$