Electrolysis splits an ionic compound into which components?

• A. The metal and non-metal
• B. The solvent and solute
• C. The gas products
• D. The cations and anions only

Answer: (A)

Electrolysis uses electrical energy to break down an ionic compound into its basic elements. In a molten salt, the compound contains metal cations and non-metal anions. When the current flows, the metal cations gain electrons at the cathode to become solid metal, while the non-metal anions lose electrons at the anode to form neutral non-metals (often diatomic gases). So the substance splits into a metal and a non-metal. For example, melting sodium chloride yields sodium metal at the cathode and chlorine gas at the anode. The other options don’t describe the final products: the solvent/solute idea relates to dissolution, gas production is just one possible outcome and not the complete decomposition, and cations/anions describe the ions present before electrolysis, not the end substances formed.