How to Understand Electrolysis
Electrolysis is a process that uses electricity to drive a chemical reaction that would not otherwise occur. It is a common method of separating chemical compounds into their component elements. A simple laboratory experiment can help you understand the process of electrolysis.
Items Needed:
- Pencils
- Beaker
- Baking soda
- Clamps
- Wire
- Wire strippers
- 9-volt battery
- Sharpen two pencils at both ends. These pencils will serve as the electrodes, which conduct electricity from a battery to the water.
- Pour water into a beaker that is large enough to hold the pencils, and add 2 teaspoons of baking soda. Stir the baking soda into the water. The baking soda will serve as an electrolyte to conduct electricity because pure water is a poor electrical conductor. Clamp the pencils to opposite ends of the beaker.
- Strip half an inch of insulation from both ends of two lengths of electrical wire. Connect one end of each wire to the pencils, ensuring the bare wire makes contact with the graphite rod and the pencil. Secure the wires to the pencils with tape.
- Connect each of the free ends of the wires to a terminal on a 9-volt battery. Bubbles should begin forming on the ends of the pencils that are in the water.
- Study the process demonstrated by this experiment. The direct electrical current from the battery provides a source of electromagnetism. The positive electrode attracts the negatively charged oxygen ions in the water, and the negative electrode attracts the positively charged hydrogen ions in the water.