How would we prepare metallic sodium and gaseous chlorine from sodium chloride?

1 Answer
anor277
Sep 13, 2015

In other words you want to do the reverse of the Born Haber cycle.

Explanation:

In the Born Haber cycle, the energetics of the formation of ionic salts are exhaustively measured and estimated. Formation of salt is thermodynamically downhill. In principle, #Na^+# could be reduced down to sodium metal; it would take a lot of energy and bother. #Cl^-# anion could be oxidized up to #Cl_2(g)# rather more easily.

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