An electrolytic cell is the inverse of a galvanic cell. Electrolytic
cells consume
electrical energy from an outside source emf to make a non-spontaneous
redox
reaction occur. For example, a galvanic cell, can be made from the
spontaneous reaction of
hydrogen and oxygen to produce water and electricity, but an electrolytic
cell can combine
water and electricity to produce hydrogen and oxygen--a non-spontaneous
reaction.
Electrolysis has applications in the production of pure metals from their
ores in and in
electroplating.
The most common types of problems in electrolysis focus on electroplating
and the
electrolysis of water. In our discussion of the electrolysis of
water, we will
probe this specific example of water as typical of the electrolytic
processes. In the
electroplating section, we will cover the process of how
electroplating works
and explore some of the common types of problems in electroplating.
