Question

the two electrodes of an electrolytic cell are placed in a sample of molten zinc iodide. after a time, reddish-brown i2(s) begins to form at one electrode while gray zn(s) deposits on the other.

Answer 1

In the given electrolytic cell setup having molten zinc iodide as the electrolyte, reduction of zinc ions to gray coloured zinc occurs at the cathode, whereas iodide ions get oxidized to reddish-brown iodine at the anode.

An electrolytic cell is a type of electrochemical cell that uses an external source of electrical energy to power a chemical process that would not occur otherwise. This contrasts with a galvanic cell, which serves as a power source and the cornerstone of a battery.

Any apparatus in which electrical energy is changed into chemical energy or vice versa is an electrolytic cell. Such a cell normally consists of two electrodes, which can be metallic or electronic conductors, kept apart from one another and in contact with an electrolyte, which is commonly an ionic substance that has been dissolved or fused.

In the given setup, the molten zinc iodide is the electrolyte, and the half reactions occurring at the two electrodes of the electrolytic cell are:

Half reaction at the cathode:

$Zn^{2+} (l) + 2e^- \rightarrow Zn (s)$

Half reaction at the anode:

$2I^- (l) \rightarrow I_2 (s) + 2e^-$

Learn more about Electrolytic cells here:

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