A concentrated solution containing H+, Cu2+,OH- and CI- was electrolysed using platiunm electrodes which of the ions will be discharged at the cathods?

A concentrated solution containing H+, Cu2+,OH- and CI- was electrolysed using platiunm electrodes which of the ions will be discharged at the cathods?

Answer Details

During electrolysis, the positively charged ions move towards the negative electrode (cathode) while the negatively charged ions move towards the positive electrode (anode). In this case, the cathode is the platinum electrode, and the solution contains H+, Cu2+, OH-, and Cl-. The ion that will be discharged (i.e. reduced) at the cathode depends on its reduction potential. The ion with the highest reduction potential will be reduced first, followed by the ion with the next highest reduction potential, and so on. In general, hydrogen ions (H+) and metal ions (like Cu2+) have a higher reduction potential than hydroxide ions (OH-) and halide ions (like Cl-). Therefore, in this case, either H+ or Cu2+ will be discharged at the cathode. However, since the solution is concentrated, it is likely that Cu2+ will be preferentially discharged at the cathode, as it is more likely to be reduced at a lower concentration. Therefore, the ion that will be discharged at the cathode is Cu2+.