During the electrolysis of molten chlorides of metals like sodium, magnesium, and calcium, the metals are deposited at the cathode, where reduction occurs, while chlorine ions are oxidized at the anode, liberating chlorine gas.
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During the electrolysis of molten chlorides of metals like sodium, magnesium, and calcium, the metals are deposited at the cathode, where reduction occurs, while chlorine ions are oxidized at the anode, liberating chlorine gas.
During electrolysis of metal chlorides, the metal chlorides dissociate into metal cations and chloride anions in the electrolyte solution. The metal cations migrate towards the cathode, where they gain electrons and deposit as pure metal. Meanwhile, chloride anions migrate towards the anode, where they lose electrons and form chlorine gas. This process effectively separates the metal from the chloride ions. The metal collects at the cathode, while chlorine gas is evolved at the anode. This electrolytic process allows for the production of pure metals from their respective chlorides, essential in metallurgy for refining and extraction purposes.
During the electrolysis process for metals like sodium, magnesium, and aluminum, metal cations (Na⁺, Mg²⁺, Al³⁺) are reduced at the cathode to form the respective elemental metal. Simultaneously, chloride anions (Cl⁻) are oxidized at the anode to produce chlorine gas (Cl₂). The overall reaction for sodium is 2Na⁺ + 2e⁻ → 2Na, for magnesium is Mg²⁺ + 2e⁻ → Mg, and for aluminum is 2Al³⁺ + 6e⁻ → 2Al. At the anode, chloride oxidation produces chlorine gas: 2Cl⁻ → Cl₂ + 2e⁻. The generated chlorine gas may undergo further reactions depending on the specific electrolysis conditions.