What is Electrolysis

Electrolysis is the process of using an electric current to drive a chemical reaction. The most common use of electrolysis is the decomposition (breakdown) of water into oxygen and hydrogen gas.

In order for electrolysis to occur, there must be an electrical conductor, like a metal wire, in contact with an electrolyte solution. When an electric current flows through the conductor, it creates a chemical reaction in the electrolyte that breaks down water molecules into their component atoms: oxygen and hydrogen.

The two gases produced during electrolysis bubble up out of the solution and are collected at the electrodes. In a typical home experiment, you might see one electrode collecting mostly brownish-colored hydrogen gas while the other collects mostly bluish-coloured oxygen gas.

Here’s a look at the electrolysis of water:
2 H2O (l) → 2 H2 (g) + O2 (g)

The equation above is a balanced chemical equation for the electrolysis of water. The products are hydrogen gas (H2) and oxygen gas (O2). The reactants are water molecules (H2O).

In order for this reaction to occur, an electric current must flow through a conducting wire that is in contact with an electrolyte solution. When the current flows, it creates a chemical reaction that breaks down water molecules into their component atoms: oxygen and hydrogen.

The two gases produced during electrolysis bubble up out of the solution and are collected at the electrodes. In a typical home experiment, you might see one electrode collecting mostly brownish-colored hydrogen gas while the other collects mostly bluish-coloured oxygen gas.

There are many uses for electrolysis, including extracting metals from their ore, purifying water, and welding.