Electrolysis

1 of 6 Boardworks Ltd 2014

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

positive
sodium ions

negative
chloride ions

The positive and negative ions in an ionic compound attract

each other strongly. It takes a lot of energy to separate them.
When an ionic substance is melted or dissolved in water, the
ions are free to move about within the liquid or solution.

2 of 6 Boardworks Ltd 2014

What is electrolysis?
Electrolysis is the breaking down of an ionic substance
using electricity. The substance that is broken down is called
the electrolyte.
Aluminium
An ionic substance contains charged Al atom
particles called ions. An ion is an
loses 3
atom that has gained or lost electrons
electrons and so carries a positive
or negative charge. This charge is Aluminium
shown after its formula. Al3+ ion

Ions with a positive charge have lost

electrons, and ions with a negative
charge have gained electrons.

3 of 6 Boardworks Ltd 2014

Do molten ionic compounds conduct?

4 of 6 Boardworks Ltd 2014

Do dissolved ionic compounds conduct?

5 of 6 Boardworks Ltd 2014

Does it conduct electricity?

6 of 6 Boardworks Ltd 2014