electrolysis

Definition

Electro-chemical process in which current is passed between two electrodes through an ionized solution (electrolyte) to deposit positive ions (anions) on the negative electrode (cathode) and negative ions (cations) on the positive electrode (anode). The entire system is called electrolytic cell which is used in several industries such as electroplating, refining bauxite into aluminum, producing chlorine and caustic soda from table salt (sodium chloride), and in analytical techniques such as polarography. Basic principles of electrolysis were discovered by the UK scientist Michael Faraday (1791-1867) and were developed by the Swedish scientist Svante Arrhenius (1859-1927) winner of the 1903 Nobel Prize in chemistry.