Question

Write the half-reactions and the products for the reactions that occur in the electrolysis of Molten MgCl2 using inert electrodes. (Hint, after writing the half-reactions write the net reaction to determine the products.)

a. 2Cl⁺ → Cl₂(g) + 2e⁻ (anode)

Answer 1

The half-reactions for the electrolysis of molten MgCl2 involve reduction of Mg2+ to magnesium metal at the cathode and oxidation of Cl- to chlorine gas at the anode. The net reaction shows the formation of Mg(s) and Cl2(g) as the products.

Step-by-step explanation:

The student is asking how to write half-reactions for the electrolysis of molten MgCl2 using inert electrodes and to determine the products of this electrolysis process.

The oxidation half-reaction at the anode is given as:
2Cl- → Cl2(g) + 2e-

The reduction half-reaction at the cathode will be:
Mg2+ + 2e- → Mg(s)

When we combine the two half-reactions, we can get the overall balanced equation for the reaction occurring during the electrolysis:
Mg2+ + 2e- + 2Cl- → Mg(s) + Cl2(g), which simplifies to Mg(s) + Cl2(g) → MgCl2.

The products are magnesium metal (Mg(s)) at the cathode and chlorine gas (Cl2(g)) at the anode.