Cambridge IGCSE Chemistry · Syllabus 0620 · Electrochemistry
Electrolyte
What is Electrolyte?
The molten or aqueous substance that is undergoing electrolysis. It contains ions that are free to move, so it conducts electricity, and those moving ions carry charge from one electrode to the other inside the cell.
This definition is part of the Electrochemistry chapter in Cambridge IGCSE Chemistry.
Common mistakes with Electrolyte
- 1. "Electrons travel through the solution from one electrode to the other." Supplement 4.1.8 Repair Electrons move only in the external metallic circuit; inside the electrolyte, charge is carried by moving ions and by nothing else. Taught in Lesson A.
Examiner tips on Electrolyte
- Why the lead is written \((l)\). Lead melts at a lower temperature than lead(II) bromide does, so at the temperature needed to keep the electrolyte molten, the lead produced is itself a liquid. That is why the observation is a bead of molten metal rather than a grey solid coating.