Question

state the difference between electroplating and electrorefining

Answer 1

A simple answer is that electroplating means utilizing an electric cell for coating an attractive metal on an object. The reaction Cu + AgNO3 --> Cu 2+ + Ag in such cell will deposit shining silver on e.g. a spoon if it is made a cathode. On the other hand, electrolysis means driving a redox reaction to occur by an energy-demanding path. This applies to water electrolysis into hydrogen & oxygen gases by the decomposition reaction(H2O ---> H2 + 1/2 O2) where each gas goes separately to the suiting electrode.