How to Write Electrolytic Cell Reactions (Step-by-Step Method)
Before the practice questions, here's the general method NCTB expects you to follow for any electrolysis question:
Step 1 — Identify the electrolyte and write the ions present.
If it's molten, only the compound's own ions are present. If it's an aqueous solution, water also contributes H⁺ and OH⁻ ions.
Step 2 — Identify the electrodes.
- Cathode (−) → attracts cations → reduction happens here (gain of electrons)
- Anode (+) → attracts anions → oxidation happens here (loss of electrons)
Step 3 — Decide which ion is discharged preferentially (this is the tricky part).
- At the cathode: less reactive metal ions (lower in the reactivity series) get discharged before more reactive ones or H⁺. E.g., Cu²⁺ is discharged before H⁺.
- At the anode: if the electrode itself is a reactive metal (like Cu or Ag), the electrode metal dissolves instead of any ion being discharged. If electrodes are inert (graphite/platinum), then among the ions present, OH⁻ is usually discharged before a stable polyatomic anion like SO₄²⁻ or NO₃⁻ (these never actually get discharged in dilute aqueous solution).
Step 4 — Write the two half-reactions, balancing electrons.
Step 5 — Add them (if needed) to get the overall cell reaction, and state the products at each electrode.
Practice Questions (electrolytic cells, no NaCl)
Q1. Write the electrode reactions for the electrolysis of acidified water (dilute H₂SO₄) using platinum electrodes.
Q2. Write the electrode reactions for the electrolysis of copper(II) sulfate (CuSO₄) solution using inert (graphite) electrodes.
Q3. Write the electrode reactions for the electrolysis of copper(II) sulfate solution using copper electrodes (this is how copper is electro-refined/purified). Explain why the anode loses mass and the cathode gains mass.
Q4. Write the electrode reactions for the electrolysis of molten lead bromide (PbBr₂).
Q5. In electroplating an iron spoon with nickel, identify which electrode is the spoon, which is pure nickel, and write the half-reactions at each electrode.
Q6. Write the electrode reactions for the electrolysis of molten aluminium oxide (Al₂O₃) with carbon electrodes (as used industrially to extract aluminium — Hall-Héroult process).
Answer Key (worked out)
Q1. Acidified water, Pt electrodes
Ions present: H⁺, OH⁻ (from water; SO₄²⁻ stays in solution, not discharged)
- Cathode: 4H⁺ + 4e⁻ → 2H₂(g) (reduction)
- Anode: 4OH⁻ − 4e⁻ → O₂(g) + 2H₂O(l) (oxidation)
- Overall: 2H₂O(l) → 2H₂(g) + O₂(g)
Product ratio: H₂ : O₂ = 2 : 1 by volume.
Q2. CuSO₄ solution, inert (graphite) electrodes
Ions present: Cu²⁺, H⁺, SO₄²⁻, OH⁻
- Cathode: Cu²⁺ + 2e⁻ → Cu(s) (Cu²⁺ discharged before H⁺, since Cu is less reactive)
- Anode: 4OH⁻ − 4e⁻ → O₂(g) + 2H₂O(l) (SO₄²⁻ is not discharged)
Result: reddish copper deposits on cathode, oxygen gas bubbles at anode, solution becomes pale/less blue over time.
Q3. CuSO₄ solution, copper electrodes (electro-refining)
- Cathode (pure Cu, −): Cu²⁺ + 2e⁻ → Cu(s) → pure copper deposits, cathode gains mass
- Anode (impure Cu, +): Cu(s) − 2e⁻ → Cu²⁺(aq) → the copper electrode itself dissolves, anode loses mass
Here the electrode metal is oxidised instead of any solution ion, because copper is more easily oxidised than the SO₄²⁻/OH⁻ ions present. Net effect: copper is transferred atom-by-atom from the impure anode to the pure cathode, while impurities fall as "anode mud/sludge."
Q4. Molten lead bromide (PbBr₂)
Only ions present: Pb²⁺ and Br⁻ (no water here, since it's molten, not aqueous)
- Cathode: Pb²⁺ + 2e⁻ → Pb(l) (molten lead collects at cathode)
- Anode: 2Br⁻ − 2e⁻ → Br₂(g/l) (reddish-brown bromine vapour/liquid)
- Overall: PbBr₂(l) → Pb(l) + Br₂(g)
Q5. Electroplating spoon with nickel
- The iron spoon = cathode (−) (object to be plated)
- The pure nickel strip = anode (+) (source of metal)
- Electrolyte: nickel sulfate (NiSO₄) solution
- Cathode: Ni²⁺ + 2e⁻ → Ni(s) → nickel deposits onto the spoon
- Anode: Ni(s) − 2e⁻ → Ni²⁺(aq) → nickel anode dissolves to keep replenishing Ni²⁺ ions in solution
Net result: nickel is transferred from the anode strip onto the spoon, and the concentration of the electrolyte stays constant.
Q6. Molten Al₂O₃, carbon electrodes
Al₂O₃ dissociates into Al³⁺ and O²⁻
- Cathode: Al³⁺ + 3e⁻ → Al(l) (molten aluminium collects at bottom)
- Anode: 2O²⁻ − 4e⁻ → O₂(g) (oxygen gas, which reacts with the hot carbon electrode to slowly burn it away as CO₂ — this is why carbon anodes need periodic replacement in the industrial process)
- Overall: 2Al₂O₃(l) → 4Al(l) + 3O₂(g)
Tip for exam answers: always explicitly state (a) the ions present, (b) which ion goes to which electrode, (c) why that particular ion/species is preferentially discharged (reactivity/ease of oxidation reasoning), and (d) the final balanced half-equations. NCTB examiners give marks for the reasoning step, not just the final equation.