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Electrolysis

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What are ionic compounds?

Ionic compounds are made up of positive ions and negative ions. What ions are in sodium chloride?

The positive and negative ions in an ionic compound attract each other strongly. It takes a lot of energy to separate them.

positive sodium ions

negative chloride ions

When an ionic substance is melted or dissolved in water, the ions are free to move about within the liquid or solution.

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What is electrolysis?

Electrolysis is the breaking down of an ionic substance using electricity. The substance that is broken down is called the electrolyte.

An ionic substance contains charged particles called ions. An ion is an atom that has gained or lost electrons and so carries a positive or negative charge. This charge is shown after its formula.

Ions with a positive charge have lost electrons, and ions with a negative charge have gained electrons.

Al3+

AlAluminium

atom

Aluminium ion

loses 3 electrons

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Do molten ionic compounds conduct?

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Do dissolved ionic compounds conduct?

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Does it conduct electricity?