What does electrolysis of Cu(NO3)2 produce?
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I have read that CuCu is deposited at the cathode when copper (II) nitrate is electrolyzed. However, when I looked at reduction potentials, the reduction of nitrate to NONO and H2OHX2O (0.96 V)(0.96 V) is more spontaneous than the reduction of Cu2+CuX2+ to CuCu (0.34 V)(0.34 V). So why is Cu formed rather than NO?
What I read doesn't mention what material the electrodes are, would it make a difference if they were inert or made of Cu? I supposed if they were made of Cu, then the Cu will be oxidized and the NO3−NOX3X− reduced:
Cu+NO3−⟶Cu2++NO+H2O(unbalanced)Cu+NOX3X−⟶CuX2++NO+HX2O(unbalanced)
However this has a positive voltage of 1.301.30, so why would electrolysis even be necessary?
If the electrodes were inert, then there were be no Cu to oxidize, so what would happen? Would the water be oxidized?
2H2O⟶4H++4e−+O2 V=−1.232HX2O⟶4HX++4eX−+OX2 V=−1.23
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