In electrolytic refining, the pure metal is used as:
a cathode
In electrolytic refining, a thin strip of pure metal is made the cathode (the negative electrode) and the impure metal is made the anode (the positive electrode), with a solution of a salt of the metal acting as the electrolyte.
When current is passed, the impure anode dissolves into the electrolyte and pure metal is deposited onto the pure cathode, so the cathode grows in purity and thickness.
"Sulphur" is wrong because sulphur is a non-metal and plays no role as the electrode here.
"An electrolyte" is wrong because the electrolyte is the dissolved metal-salt solution, not the solid pure metal.
"An anode" is wrong because the anode is made of the impure metal that dissolves away, not the pure metal.
Hence, in electrolytic refining the pure metal is used as a cathode.
Important Questions from Electrochemistry
Which one of the following is the correct arrangement of metals in the decreasing order of their reactivity?
Which one of the following represents the correct order of electron releasing tendency of metals?
Zinc is used to protect the iron from corrosion because zinc is
Which compound, when dissolved in water, conducts electricity and forms a basic solution?
Identify an application in which solar cells are NOT used.
