Limitations of Faraday’s Law of Electrolysis

Faraday’s law of electrolysis helps in calculating the amount of ion deposition and the amount of current passed through the solution. Although, it has several benefits it has got some limitations. These limitations are mentioned below:

• This law is only valid for ideal conditions. It assumes the conditions of electrolysis to be ideal such as uniform surface, homogeneous electrolyte, etc.
• It applies to reactions in which only one substance is deposited. It fails in the case of complex electrochemical reactions.
• It does not count the additional voltage to carry on the reaction.
• It is not applicable in the case of non-electrolytes.
• It assumes that a constant current is passing throughout the reaction

Faraday’s Law of Electrolysis proposed by Michael Faraday deals with the quantitative analysis of Electrolysis. It relates the mass deposited at any electrode and the amount of charge passed through them. Electrolysis is a process in which an electric current stimulates a non-spontaneous chemical reaction. In this process, metal electrodes are dipped in an electrolytic solution and a flow of ions is created through the passage of current by connecting wires to the electrodes. This flow of ions causes a chemical reaction that results in mass deposition at one electrode and the dissolution of the other. The mass deposited at the electrode depends on the amount of charge passed through the solution. Faraday’s law of electrolysis provides a basis for mathematical analysis of the mass deposited at electrodes and the amount of charge passed through them.

In this article, we will discuss two laws of electrolysis given by Faraday, their application, and limitations, solve numerical problems based on them, and FAQs related to them.