Short Answer TypeElectrolysis of molten NaCl gives sodium at cathode while aqueous NaCl gives H2 gas at cathode.
The cells from which electric energy is derived by irreversible chemical action are called primary cells. The primary cell is capable of providing an EMF when its constituent’s two electrodes and a suitable electrolyte are assembled together. The three main primary cells namely are the Daniel cell, the Leclanche cell, and the dry cell. None of these cells can be recharged electrically.
The dry cell consists of a zinc container that also acts as anode and the cathode is a carbon (graphite) rod surrounded by powdered manganese dioxide and carbon. The space between the electrodes is filled by a moist paste of ammonium chloride (NH4Cl) and zinc chloride (ZnCl2). The electrode reactions are complex, but they can be written approximately as follows :
Anode: Zn(s)----> Zn2+ + 2e–
Cathode: MnO2+ NH4+ + e–----> MnO(OH) + NH3
In the reaction at cathode, manganese is reduced from the + 4 oxidation state to the +3 state. Ammonia produced in the reaction forms a complex with Zn2+ to give [Zn (NH3)4]2+. The cell has a potential of nearly 1.5 V.
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