Q54 · Practice questionSimple familiar4 marks
QUESTION 54 (4 marks)
Two aqueous sodium chloride solutions are electrolysed with inert electrodes. One is concentrated and one is very dilute. Use the syllabus model for preferential discharge.
a) Identify the gas produced at the cathode in both cells and write its half-equation. [2 marks]
b) Identify the principal anode gas in each cell. [2 marks]
WORKED SOLUTION
4 marksPractice marking scheme
Cathode: hydrogen, . Concentrated anode: chlorine. Very dilute anode: oxygen.
Water is reduced preferentially to sodium ions in aqueous solution. At high chloride concentration chloride oxidation gives chlorine; in the very dilute limit water/hydroxide oxidation gives oxygen.
- Identifies hydrogen in both cells. [1 marks]
- Balances the cathode half-equation. [1 marks]
- Identifies chlorine for concentrated NaCl. [1 marks]
- Identifies oxygen for very dilute NaCl. [1 marks]
Practice question aligned to the current QCAA syllabus; review the worked solution and marking criteria.
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