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The Downs cell uses a carbon anode and an iron cathode.The electrolyte is sodium chloride that has been heated to the liquid state. Although solid sodium chloride is a poor conductor of electricity, when molten the sodium and chloride ions are mobilized, which become charge carriers and allow conduction of electric current.
At the cathode (C), water is reduced to hydroxide and hydrogen gas. The net process is the electrolysis of an aqueous solution of NaCl into industrially useful products sodium hydroxide (NaOH) and chlorine gas. Saturated brine is passed into the first chamber of the cell.
A low voltage DC current is applied, electrolysis happens producing sodium hypochlorite and hydrogen gas (H 2). The solution travels to a tank that separates the hydrogen gas based on its low density. [1] Only water and sodium chloride are used. The simplified chemical reaction is: NaCl + H 2 O + energy → NaOCl + H 2 [citation needed]
Chlorine can be manufactured by the electrolysis of a sodium chloride solution , which is known as the Chloralkali process. The production of chlorine results in the co-products caustic soda (sodium hydroxide, NaOH) and hydrogen gas (H 2). These two products, as well as chlorine itself, are highly reactive.
), and produces chlorine (Cl 2) gas. However, at the cathode, instead of sodium ions being reduced to sodium metal, water molecules are reduced to hydroxide ions (OH −) and hydrogen gas (H 2). The overall result of the electrolysis is the production of chlorine gas, hydrogen gas, and aqueous sodium hydroxide (NaOH) solution.
Pure water has a charge carrier density similar to semiconductors [12] [page needed] since it has a low autoionization, K w = 1.0×10 −14 at room temperature and thus pure water conducts current poorly, 0.055 μS/cm. [13] Unless a large potential is applied to increase the autoionization of water, electrolysis of pure water proceeds slowly ...
The amount of electricity that has passed through the system can then be determined from the volume of gas. Thomas Edison used voltameters as electricity meters.. A Hofmann voltameter is often used as a demonstration of stoichiometric principles, as the two-to-one ratio of the volumes of hydrogen and oxygen gas produced by the apparatus illustrates the chemical formula of water, H 2 O.
The first type, shown on the right and left of the diagram, uses an electrolyte of sodium chloride solution, a graphite anode (A), and a mercury cathode (M). The other type of cell, shown in the center of the diagram, uses an electrolyte of sodium hydroxide solution, a mercury anode (M), and an iron cathode (D). The mercury electrode is common ...