Electrolysis

                Electrolysis: The generation os a nonspontaneous chemical reaction using electrical current.

One of the most influential scientists of al time, Englishman Michael Faraday (1791-1867) was fascinated by electricity, magnetism and the nature of energy and matter. In 1833, Faraday discovered  how to reverse the natural process by which electromagnetic bonds are formed. He formulated two laws to illustrated how electrochemistry holds matter together and discribed how to manipulate this pattern so that a new arrangement comes about.

               Electrolysis requires a liquid medium, the electrolyte through which a direct electrical current can be passed. The current splits the bonda that hold ions in their molecualr positions at the anode or possitive end of the reaction and causes them to enter into new molecular relationships at the cathode or negative end. The ratio and rate of transfer depend on the nature of the solution, the amount of power used and the material at the anode but the process is universal.

               Controlling and reversing electrochemical reactions extended humanity's sense of power over the environment. If we could manipulate such fundamental forces, we were not merely Earth's inheritors, we were its masters, being able to manipulate the very structure of matter at the molecular level enabled us to seperate elements from naturally occuring compounds; this massively improved our ability to exploit natural sources of metals and drove forward industrial and technological expansion. Electrolysis refind our ability to take charge of human progress. It also opened the eyes of the scientific world to the particular nature of matter and the forces that bond it together.