Electrochemistry
The Hall-Hérault process takes advantage of the principle that the melting point of a substance is reduced by admixture with another substance with which it forms a homogeneous phase. Instead of using the pure alumina ore Al2O3 which melts at 2050°C, it is mixed with cryolite, which is a natural mixture of NaF and AlF3, thus reducing the temperature required to a more manageable 1000°C. The anodes of the cell are made of carbon (actually a mixture of pitch and coal), and this plays a direct role in the process; the carbon gets oxidized (by the oxide ions left over from the reduction of Al3+ to CO, and the free energy of this reaction helps drive the aluminum reduction, lowering the voltage that must be applied and thus reducing the power consumption. This is important, because aluminum refining is the largest consumer of industrial electricity, accounting for about 5% of all electricity generated in North America. Since aluminum cells commonly operated at about 100,000 amperes, even a slight reduction in voltage can result in a large saving of power.
The net reaction is
However, large quantities of CO and of HF (from the cryolite), and hydrocarbons (from the electrodes) are formed in various side reactions, and these can be serious sources of environmental pollution.
- Galvanic Cell
Oxidation is defined as the addition of oxygen to a substancethe loss of hydrogen from a substancethe...
- Faraday's Laws Of Electrolysis.
One mole of electric charge (96,500 coulombs), when passed through a cell, will discharge half a mole of a divalent metal ion such as Cu2+. This relation was first formulated by Faraday in 1832 in the form of two laws of electrolysis:The weights of substances...
- What Is An Activity Series, And How Is It Used?
An activity series is a list of substances ranked in order of relative reactivity. For example, magnesium metal can knock hydrogen ions out of solution, so it is considered more reactive than elemental hydrogen: Mg(s) + 2 H+(aq) H2(g) + Mg2+(aq) Zinc...
- Electrochemistry : 10.3 : Electrolysis Cell
VOLTAN CELL VS ELECTRIOLYSIS CELL . Voltaic cell :use a spontaneous reaction to generate electric energy. Electrolysis :use electric energy to drive non- spontaneous energy. VOLTAIC CELL. ELECTROLYTICelectrons generate...
- Electrochemistry : 10.1 Galvanic Cell (continued)
SPONTANEOUS REACTION occurs as the result of different ability of metal to give up their electron to flow through the circuit. CELL POTENTIAL (ECell) different in electrical potential of electrodes also called voltage or electromotive...
Electrochemistry
Electrolytic refining of aluminum
Aluminum is present in most rocks and is the most abundant metallic element in the earth's crust (eight percent by weight.) However, its isolation is very difficult and expensive to accomplish by purely chemical means, as evidenced by the high E° (–1.66 v) of the Al3+/Al couple. For the same reason, aluminum cannot be isolated by electrolysis of aqueous solutions of its compounds, since the water would be electrolyzed preferentially. And if you have ever tried to melt a rock, you will appreciate the difficulty of electrolyzing a molten aluminum ore! Aluminum was in fact considered an exotic and costly metal until 1886, when Charles Hall (U.S.A) and Paul Hérault (France) independently developed a practical electrolytic reduction process.
The Hall-Hérault process takes advantage of the principle that the melting point of a substance is reduced by admixture with another substance with which it forms a homogeneous phase. Instead of using the pure alumina ore Al2O3 which melts at 2050°C, it is mixed with cryolite, which is a natural mixture of NaF and AlF3, thus reducing the temperature required to a more manageable 1000°C. The anodes of the cell are made of carbon (actually a mixture of pitch and coal), and this plays a direct role in the process; the carbon gets oxidized (by the oxide ions left over from the reduction of Al3+ to CO, and the free energy of this reaction helps drive the aluminum reduction, lowering the voltage that must be applied and thus reducing the power consumption. This is important, because aluminum refining is the largest consumer of industrial electricity, accounting for about 5% of all electricity generated in North America. Since aluminum cells commonly operated at about 100,000 amperes, even a slight reduction in voltage can result in a large saving of power.
The net reaction is
2 Al2O3 + 3 C → 4 Al + 3 CO2
- Galvanic Cell
Oxidation is defined as the addition of oxygen to a substancethe loss of hydrogen from a substancethe...
- Faraday's Laws Of Electrolysis.
One mole of electric charge (96,500 coulombs), when passed through a cell, will discharge half a mole of a divalent metal ion such as Cu2+. This relation was first formulated by Faraday in 1832 in the form of two laws of electrolysis:The weights of substances...
- What Is An Activity Series, And How Is It Used?
An activity series is a list of substances ranked in order of relative reactivity. For example, magnesium metal can knock hydrogen ions out of solution, so it is considered more reactive than elemental hydrogen: Mg(s) + 2 H+(aq) H2(g) + Mg2+(aq) Zinc...
- Electrochemistry : 10.3 : Electrolysis Cell
VOLTAN CELL VS ELECTRIOLYSIS CELL . Voltaic cell :use a spontaneous reaction to generate electric energy. Electrolysis :use electric energy to drive non- spontaneous energy. VOLTAIC CELL. ELECTROLYTICelectrons generate...
- Electrochemistry : 10.1 Galvanic Cell (continued)
SPONTANEOUS REACTION occurs as the result of different ability of metal to give up their electron to flow through the circuit. CELL POTENTIAL (ECell) different in electrical potential of electrodes also called voltage or electromotive...