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A scientist wants to make copper using electrolysis - OCR Gateway - GCSE Chemistry - Question 19 - 2023 - Paper 3
Question 19
A scientist wants to make copper using electrolysis. They consider two different electrolysis experiments using inert electrodes as shown in the table. Electrolyte ... show full transcript
Worked Solution & Example Answer:A scientist wants to make copper using electrolysis - OCR Gateway - GCSE Chemistry - Question 19 - 2023 - Paper 3
Step 1
Predict and explain what will be made at the electrode the scientist collects product from in each experiment.
Answer
In Experiment 1, where the electrolyte is molten copper chloride and the electrode is the anode, chlorine gas will be produced. This is because during electrolysis, the chloride ions ( ext{Cl}^-) are oxidized at the anode, releasing chlorine gas.
In Experiment 2, with copper sulfate solution and the electrode being the cathode, copper metal will be deposited. This occurs as copper ions ( ext{Cu}^{2+}) are reduced at the cathode, gaining electrons to form copper metal.
Step 2
Determine which experiment the scientist should use to make copper.
Answer
The scientist should use Experiment 2. This is because copper is produced at the cathode in this experiment, which is the desired outcome for making copper. In contrast, Experiment 1 only generates chlorine gas at the anode, which does not fulfill the objective of producing copper.