Gallium is obtained by electrolysis of its chlorides. Write the anode and cathode electrode equations which occur if you were to electrolyse molten gallium chloride and give the overall balanced equation.
Anode: 2Cl^- (l) → Cl2 (g) + 2e^-
Cathode: Ga^3+ (l) + 3e^- → Ga (l)
Overall balanced equation: 2GaCl3 (l) → 2Ga (l) + 3Cl2 (g)
Why did the gallium chloride go to therapy?
Because it had anode-cathode issues!
Anode electrode equation: 2Cl^- → Cl2 + 2e^-
Cathode electrode equation: Ga^3+ + 3e^- → Ga
And when you combine these equations, you get the overall balanced equation:
2GaCl3(l) → 2Ga(l) + 3Cl2(g)
There you go! Problem solved, and a little laughter too.
To determine the anode and cathode electrode equations for the electrolysis of molten gallium chloride (GaCl2), we need to consider the reduction potentials of the species involved.
Cathode (Reduction):
Gallium ion (Ga^3+) gains electrons to form gallium metal (Ga):
Ga^3+ + 3e^- → Ga
Anode (Oxidation):
Chloride ion (Cl^-) loses electrons to form chlorine gas (Cl2):
2Cl^- → Cl2 + 2e^-
Overall balanced equation:
Combining the above half-reactions, we get the overall balanced equation for the electrolysis of molten gallium chloride:
2GaCl2 → 2Ga + Cl2
So, at the cathode, gallium ions gain electrons to form gallium metal, and at the anode, chloride ions lose electrons to form chlorine gas.
To determine the anode and cathode electrode equations that occur during the electrolysis of molten gallium chloride and the overall balanced equation, we need to consider the half-reactions for the oxidation and reduction processes.
First, let's break down the steps involved:
1. Identify the ions present in the molten gallium chloride: Gallium chloride (GaCl₂) consists of gallium ions (Ga²⁺) and chloride ions (Cl⁻).
2. Determine which ion would get reduced (gain electrons) and which would get oxidized (lose electrons). To do this, we need to compare the reduction potentials of the ions involved. If we look at a table of standard reduction potentials, we can see that Ga²⁺ (reduction potential: -0.53 V) has a lower reduction potential compared to Cl⁻ (reduction potential: -1.36 V). This means that Ga²⁺ is more likely to be reduced (gain electrons) than Cl⁻.
3. Write the half-reactions:
- Reduction half-reaction: Ga²⁺ + 2e⁻ → Ga (gallium metal)
- Oxidation half-reaction: 2Cl⁻ → Cl₂ (chlorine gas) + 2e⁻
Note: It's important to balance the number of electrons in each half-reaction to ensure charge neutrality.
4. Now, let's write the overall balanced equation by adding the half-reactions together:
2GaCl₂ (molten) → 2Ga + Cl₂
So, the anode electrode equation (oxidation) is: 2Cl⁻ → Cl₂ + 2e⁻
And the cathode electrode equation (reduction) is: Ga²⁺ + 2e⁻ → Ga
Overall balanced equation: 2GaCl₂ (molten) → 2Ga + Cl₂
In summary, during the electrolysis of molten gallium chloride, the anode electrode equation is 2Cl⁻ → Cl₂ + 2e⁻, the cathode electrode equation is Ga²⁺ + 2e⁻ → Ga, and the overall balanced equation is 2GaCl₂ (molten) → 2Ga + Cl₂.