Video Transcript
What are the products produced
during the electrolysis of acidified water using a Hofmann voltameter?
This question refers to the
electrolysis of acidified water. Electrolysis is a process where an
electric current is passed through a liquid or a solution, which causes the
substances to decompose. When a substance decomposes, it
breaks apart. In this case, water is the
substance that will decompose during electrolysis. It is the liquid through which the
electric current is passed.
The reaction is carried out in an
apparatus that looks like this diagram. It is called a Hofmann
voltameter. The water is acidified by mixing it
with a small amount of acid. And then it is added into the
device. Positive and negative electrodes
are connected to a power source in order to generate an electric current. When the power source is turned on,
the water molecules break apart.
Bubbles can be seen in each side of
the device, indicating that the liquid water is decomposing into gases. These gases are contained in the
left and right chambers of the voltameter. Hydrogen gas is produced at the
negative electrode. Oxygen gas is produced at the
positive electrode.
This is the balanced chemical
equation that represents the process. We can see that double the amount
of hydrogen is produced during the process compared to oxygen. The chemical bonds in the water
molecules are broken apart and rearranged, resulting in two gaseous products. These gases are hydrogen and
oxygen.
Therefore, the products produced
during the electrolysis of acidified water using a Hoffman voltameter are hydrogen
and oxygen.
