Question

Electrolysis of aqueous $ HCl $ produces:

Answer 1

Hint :Electrolysis is the process in which electric current is passed through a substance to affect a chemical change. These are used for various purposes in purification of metals and also used to form compounds when needed to replace a less reactive metal to its more reactive metal.

Complete Step By Step Answer:
Electrolysis is the process in which electric current is passed through a substance to affect a chemical change. These are used for various purposes in purification of metals.
Now we have to do the electrolysis of $ HCl $
In electrolysis there is one cathode tube where an ion accepts electrons and forms a compound. Another tube where reaction takes place is anode where the ion undergoes losing of electrons so as to form a compound.
Now in hydrochloric acid, there is hydrogen and chlorine. Now chlorine is more electronegative than hydrogen therefore chlorine must be existing in the native oxidation state and hydrogen in the positive oxidation state.
Now hydrogen has a positive ion which is supposed to get reduced, where it will gain electrons lost by chlorine so as to form chlorine gas. Now the hydrogen ion will accept electrons to form hydrogen gas
 $ 2{H^ + } + 2{e^ - } \to {H_2}(g) $
Now at anode the chlorine will lose electrons so as to form chlorine gas, it loses electrons and gives them to hydrogen ions and it itself goes from a negative oxidation state to a zero-oxidation state.
 The reaction is as follows:
 $ 2C{l^ - } \to C{l_2} + 2{e^ - } $
Electrolysis of hydrochloric acid produces hydrogen gas at anode and chlorine gas at anode.

Note :
In the cleaning of metal, one electrode has the impure metal and the second electrode has a very zero-oxidation thin layer of pure metal and put in an electrode. A salt bridge has to be kept between solutions or the process might stop as the potential of reaction reaches the external potential.