Question

Write the products produced when an aqueous solution of NaCl is electrolysed.

Answer 1

1. Electrolysis

The process of ionisation of electrolytes in presence of electricity is termed as electrolysis. It has a wide application in metal extraction process.

2. Electrolysis of Sodium chloride
When an aqueous solution of NaCl (Sodium chloride) is electrolysed, the products like Sodium hydroxide (NaOH), Hydrogen gas $\left({\mathrm{H}}_2\right)$, and Chlorine gas $\left({\mathrm{Cl}}_2\right)$ are formed.

The reaction for the electrolysis of an aqueous solution of NaCl is given below.

$2\mathrm{NaCl}\left(\mathrm{aq}\right)+2{\mathrm{H}}_2\mathrm{O}\left(\mathrm{l}\right)\to 2\mathrm{NaOH}\left(\mathrm{aq}\right)+{\mathrm{Cl}}_2\left(\mathrm{g}\right)+{\mathrm{H}}_2\left(\mathrm{g}\right)$

Thus, the products are Sodium hydroxide, Hydrogen gas, and Chlorine gas.