CONSTRUCTION OF DOWN'S CELL

Down's cell consists of a rectangular container of steel. Inside of the tank is lined with firebricks. Anode is a graphite rod which projects centrally up through the base of the cell. Cathode is a ring of iron, which surrounds the anode. The anode and cathode are separated from each other by a cylindrical steel gauze diaphragm so that Na and Cl2 are kept apart. A bell like hood is submerged over the anode.

How it works

Schematic diagram of the Downs cell

The Downs cell uses a carbon anode and iron cathode. The electrolyte is sodium chloride that has been fused to a liquid by heating. Although crystalline sodium chloride is a poor conductor of electricity, fusing it mobilizes the sodium and chloride ions, which become charge carriers and allow conduction of electric current. Some calcium chloride and/or chlorides of barium and strontium, and, in some processes, sodium fluoride are added to the electrolyte to reduce the temperature required to keep the electrolyte liquid. Sodium chloride normally melts at 801 C, but the mixture can be kept liquid at temperatures around 600 C. The anode reaction is: 2Cl Cl2 + 2e The cathode reaction is:

2Na+ + 2e 2Na for an overall reaction of 2Na+ + 2Cl 2Na + Cl2 The calcium does not enter into the reaction because its reduction potential of 2.87 volts is higher than that of sodium. Hence the sodium ions are reduced to metallic form in preference to those of calcium. If the electrolyte contained only calcium ion and no sodium, it would be calcium metal produced as the cathode product (which indeed is how metallic calcium is produced). Both the products of the electrolysis, sodium metal and chlorine gas, are less dense than the electrolyte and therefore float to the surface. Perforated iron baffles are arranged in the cell (see the diagram to the right) to direct the products into separate chambers without their ever coming into contact with each other. Although theory predicts that a potential of a little over 4 volts should be sufficient to cause the reaction to go forward, in practice potentials of up to 8 volts are used. This is done in order to achieve useful current densities in the electrolyte despite its inherent electrical resistance. The overvoltage and consequent resistive heating contributes to the heat required to keep the electrolyte in a liquid state. The Downs process also produces chlorine as a byproduct, although chlorine produced this way accounts for only a small fraction of chlorine produced industrially by other methods.

The reasons for lowering the temperature are: It is difficult to maintain a high temperature Sodium is volatile at this temperature and so a part of the metal formed may vaporize. At this high temperature chlorine produced as a byproduct corrodes the vessel. Metal at this temperature will be in a colloidal state and its separation will be difficult.

Advantages of Down's process

Sodium metal obtained has high degree of purity (99.5%). The starting material, sodium chloride is very cheap. Chlorine is obtained as a useful by-product.

References http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Downs_cell

http://chem-guide.blogspot.com/2010/04/sodium-occurrence-extraction-fromdowns.html#uds-search-results http://www.citycollegiate.com/sblock1.htm