Mercury cathode can not be used for alkali me | vedclass

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(C) In the electrolysis of fused alkali metal salts,the alkali metals are very strong reducing agents. They react with the mercury cathode to form ama

Vedclass · Accepted Answer

Metals are strong reducing agents

Vedclass · Answer

(C) In the electrolysis of fused alkali metal salts,the alkali metals are very strong reducing agents. They react with the mercury cathode to form amalgams,but more importantly,they are highly reactive and would react with the electrolyte or the environment. However,the primary reason they are not used in the fused state is that alkali metals are extremely strong reducing agents and would react with the components of the cell or the electrolyte itself,making the process inefficient or dangerous. Actually,the most direct reason is that alkali metals are strong reducing agents and would react with the electrolyte or the cathode material in a way that prevents the isolation of the pure metal.

Mercury cathode can not be used for alkali metals in their fused state because

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