Question

What are the factors affecting the product of electrolysis?

Answer 1

Hint: Electrolysis is the process in which electric current is passed through a substance to affect a chemical change. These are used for various purposes in purification of metals and also used to form compounds when needed to replace a less reactive metal to its more reactive metal.

Complete answer:
Electrolysis is the process in which electric current is passed through a substance to affect a chemical change. These are used for various purposes in purification of metals.
The products of electrolysis can be affected by various factors:
Nature and state of electrolyte
Electrolysis is a process which has movement of ions to the positively charged electrodes. These metal ions of the electrode should be easily mobile so it is really difficult to move ions of a solid which have a specific position at certain temperatures. Therefore, if the electrolyte or the thing used for the movement of ions between electrodes should be line liquid form.
Nature and electrode potential of ions present in the electrolyte
Electrolysis of radical ions do not give the elemental atoms. Electrolysis containing more than one ionic compound, depends on the relative redox potentials.
Nature of the electrode
It depends on which element is present at cathode and which at anode. There has to always be a disparity between potentials of cathode and anode electrodes for electrolysis to happen without any problem. Sometimes water is also used at one of the electrodes or one metal at cathode or anode is empty, so that all the pure metal can be decomposed there.
Overvoltage at the electrodes
Sometimes redox potentials of some half reactions during the electrolysis are more than the thermodynamic potentials. The excess voltage of the half reaction may make the reaction unfavourable and change the product of electrolysis.
Nature and state of electrolyte, nature and electrode potential of ions in the electrolyte, nature of electrode and overvoltage at the electrodes affect the process of electrolysis.

Note:
In the cleaning of metal, one electrode has the impure metal and the second electrode has a very very thin layer of pure metal and put in an electrode. A salt bridge has to be kept between solutions or the process might stop as the potential of reaction reached the external potential.