Try it on paper first. A hint, the key idea and the worked solution are here when you need them.
A solution holds sodium iodide and sodium bromide. It is electrolysed with a platinum anode at . The standard potentials are at and at . (a) What is oxidised first? (b) At what anode potential does bromine begin to form? (c) What is at that moment, and what share of the iodide is left? (d) What charge, in coulombs for each litre, oxidises per cent of the iodide?
At the cathode the ion with the highest deposition potential goes first, and at the anode the lowest goes first. . Hydrogen evolves at . Current efficiency is the mass deposited divided by the mass expected from , times 100. Energy is , and .
Have you tried it?
Work it out on paper first. It is fine to get stuck or make a mistake: that is how we learn. When you are ready, go through the solution one step at a time, and check each step against your own.
Plan. Bromine starts when the anode potential reaches the bromine potential at . By then the iodine couple has used up almost all of its ion.
Step 1. The first. Iodine has the lower standard potential, so iodide is oxidised first: .
Step 2. Bromine starts. .
Step 3. The iodide left. , so and . The share left is .
Step 4. The charge. The iodide oxidised is for each litre, and each ion gives one electron. .
Answer: iodide goes first, bromine starts at , of iodide is left, which is of the start, and for each litre.
Check. The separation is clean on paper because the two potentials differ by .
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