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During the electrolysis of molten potassium chloride, what is made at the cathode? A) Chlorine B) Hydrogen C) Potassium D) Potassium hydroxide - OCR Gateway - GCSE Chemistry - Question 11 - 2021 - Paper 3
Question 11
During the electrolysis of molten potassium chloride, what is made at the cathode? A) Chlorine B) Hydrogen C) Potassium D) Potassium hydroxide
Worked Solution & Example Answer:During the electrolysis of molten potassium chloride, what is made at the cathode? A) Chlorine B) Hydrogen C) Potassium D) Potassium hydroxide - OCR Gateway - GCSE Chemistry - Question 11 - 2021 - Paper 3
Step 1
Identify what is produced at the cathode during electrolysis
Answer
During the electrolysis of molten potassium chloride, the cations (positively charged ions) migrate to the cathode (negative electrode) to gain electrons. In this case, potassium ions (K⁺) will be reduced to form potassium metal. Therefore, the answer to the question is
B) Hydrogen since the potassium ions are not typically produced at the cathode when water or moisture is present, thus hydrogen is generated instead.