Question

Electrolytic Cells and salt bridges, can someone paint me a picture(with words)?

Answer 1

Don't understand really what the salt bridge does, from my understanding it keeps the charges in both anode/cathode compartments neutral. But i don't get how.

Answer 2

(Will medal for eureka moment)

Answer 3

http://novella.mhhe.com/sites/dl/free/0078807239/602905/figure_17_4.jpg

Answer 4

"Without a salt bridge, a few electrons would flow from the anode into the cathode, but because of the negative charge that would build up, repulsion would get so large that no more electrons could flow. A salt bridge allows the anions in the cathode solution (the counterions to the cations in the cathode solution that are getting reduced) to migrate to the anode and thereby balance the charges."

Regarding the salt bridge wearing out,

"The salt bridge is like the conducting metal wire; it's there just as a pathway for charges to flow. Salt bridges don't run out, cathodes and anodes do. Eventually you either run out of the reactant metal in the anode or the reactant cation in the cathode. Once the chemical reaction is complete, then the electrons stop flowing through the wire and the anions stop migrating through the salt bridge."

Answer 5

hope this helps

Answer 6

http://forums.studentdoctor.net/threads/how-do-salt-bridges-work.722358/

source here, this is essentially a good explanation of it that I found my brain is half working atm so I was too lazy to write something out

Answer 7

nah it's ok, at least somebody answered this time. Appreciate it

Answer 8

if you are still confused let me know

Answer 9

I feel like that is a pretty awesome explanation of a salt bridge, based on my own knowledge of it

Answer 10

@Australopithecus quick questions. In the picture and in regards to this gel. THe left side of the Salt bridge, or more formally the side dipped into the anion, has the Na+ gel? I'm reading the thread you sent

"The salt in the solution can run out, but a salt bridge is the path for the anions to travel. For every anion that adds on one end, another falls off the other end. Just like the wire can't run out of electrons, because they are transferring across and not being consummed, the salt bridge can't run out of anions"

Answer 11

Anion is a negatively charged molecule (or atom)
Cation is a positively charged molecule (or atom)

Answer 12

i ment ANODE lol

Answer 13

bit tired , sorry

Answer 14

No your assumption is correct I believe

Answer 15

it should create a gradient

Answer 16

Sorry I am also tired

Answer 17

Right, because the guy in the forum says that when,in our case, the magnesium is oxidized, that whole situation becomes positive. So then the Salt bridge leaks out electrons so it can be neutral. On the other side the cathode is being reduced, gaining electrons and negatively charging the solution it's dipped in. So my guess is that the salt bridge has a negatively charged side dipped into the anode, and a positively charged side dipped in the cathode?

Answer 18

and it's perfectly normal to be tired at this hour lol.

Answer 19

alright well I hope I was helpful going to pass out tomorrow have 20 hours of traveling to deal with :(

Answer 20

good luck buddy, thanks for everything