Question
Predict the products of electrolysis of a dilute aqueous solution of sulphuric acid with inert electrodes.
Solution
Answer:
The electrolysis of an aqueous solution of sodium sulphate using inert electrodes produces hydrogen at the cathode and oxygen at the anode and a neutral solution of sodium sulphate remains unaltered by the electrolysis.
At the cathode:
2H+ + 2e– → H2
At the anode:
2H2O → O2 + 4H+ + 4e–
