why is it that when water is decomposed through a process call electrosys (when electricity is put through water)there is more volume of hydrogen than oxygen produced?
Because water molecules contain twice as many H atoms as O atoms. Both hydrogem and oxygen atoms form molecules in pairs, so you also have twice as many H2 molecules as O2 molecules.
The volume of a gas is proportional to the number of molecules in it, and does not depend upon the mass of the molecule. So there is also twice the volume of hydrogen, compared to oxygen.
When water is decomposed through a process called electrolysis, which involves passing electricity through water, more volume of hydrogen gas is produced compared to oxygen gas. This phenomenon can be explained by understanding the principle of electrolysis and the composition of water.
Electrolysis involves the use of an electric current to break down a compound into its constituent elements. In the case of water (H2O), it is composed of two hydrogen atoms and one oxygen atom, which are held together by covalent bonds.
During electrolysis, when an electric current is passed through water, the water molecules (H2O) are split into their respective parts – hydrogen (H2) and oxygen (O2) – through a process known as disassociation. This can be represented by the following chemical equation:
2H2O(l) → 2H2(g) + O2(g)
Now, to understand why more hydrogen gas is produced than oxygen gas, we need to examine the basic principles of electrolysis.
During electrolysis, water molecules near the anode (positively charged electrode) undergo oxidation, which means they give up electrons. This happens at the anode because this is where the positive ions are attracted and thus the site of oxidation.
The oxidation reaction at the anode is as follows:
2H2O(l) → O2(g) + 4H+(aq) + 4e-
As a result, oxygen gas (O2) is produced along with positively charged hydrogen ions (H+), which are released into the water.
On the other hand, near the cathode (negatively charged electrode), water molecules undergo reduction, which means they gain electrons. This happens at the cathode because this is where the negative ions are attracted and thus the site of reduction.
The reduction reaction at the cathode is as follows:
2H2O(l) + 2e- → H2(g) + 2OH-(aq)
This reaction leads to the production of hydrogen gas (H2) and hydroxide ions (OH-) in the water.
Now, the reason why more volume of hydrogen is produced than oxygen can be attributed to the differences in the mobility of hydrogen and oxygen ions in water. Hydrogen ions (H+) are smaller and have higher mobility compared to oxygen ions (O2-), which means they can move more freely in the water. As a result, they are more likely to reach the cathode and be reduced to hydrogen gas. On the other hand, oxygen ions have lower mobility and are less likely to reach the anode and be oxidized to oxygen gas.
Thus, due to the difference in mobility and the principles of electrolysis, more volume of hydrogen gas is produced compared to oxygen gas during the decomposition of water through electrolysis.