ScienceYears 10–11Chemistry — Chemical Changes

Electrolysis

Explain the process of electrolysis of molten compounds and aqueous solutions; predict products at each electrode

What you'll learn

  1. 1

    Imagine you have a glass of water with salt dissolved in it. If you put two metal rods in and connect a battery, the salt water starts to fizz and bubbles appear!

  2. 2

    What does electrolysis use to split a liquid?

  3. 3

    Set up the electrolysis cell: drag the wires to connect the battery to the two metal rods.

  4. 4

    Let's see what happens to copper chloride when we electrolyse it.

  5. 5

    Which rod do the copper atoms go to in copper chloride electrolysis?

  6. 6

    Watch the atoms move: drag the copper atoms to the negative rod and the chlorine atoms to the positive rod.

  7. 7

    What is produced at the positive rod when electrolysing copper chloride?

Practise Electrolysis with Whizlo

Free AI-tutored lessons, unlimited practice questions, and progress tracking for ages 14–16. Aligned to the UK National Curriculum.