Electrolysis

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Electrolysis is a scientific way of "splitting" substances. Electrolysis means "electric-splitting".

[edit] Uses

Electrolysis is using in the mining industry to split reactive metals from their ores after they are extracted (taken) from the ground. It is also used to plate (cover) things with metal because it is costs less than using, for example, solid gold to make jewelry.

Many beauty companies use electrolysis to remove hair. This is done by "electrocuting" the hair so it splits along its root. This is usually done around the bikini line and genital area.

[edit] Overview

A metal is melted so it is easier to get the important part. It is then treated with an electric current to split the metal from anything else that was contaminating it, usually a non metal like sulphur or oxygen. Electric current has two "ends", a positive and a negative. The positive end in an electrolysis is called the cathode. The impurity goes towards that. The negative end is called the anode and the metal (the important bit) goes to that side. When "go" is used it does not actually mean that the molten metal, the solution, splits down the middle. The metal part of the solution, called an ion, goes to the anode. They do this because the ions have a charge which is opposite to the end they go to. Metals have a positive charge and most non metals are positively charged.

[edit] Examples

Electrolysing water gives hydrogen gas and oxygen gas. This is strange as water is a liquid.