Molten magnesium chloride, MgCl2\mathrm{MgCl_2}MgCl2, is electrolysed using inert electrodes.
A student makes this claim:
“Magnesium is more reactive than hydrogen, so hydrogen forms at the cathode instead of magnesium. At the anode, chloride ions gain electrons and form chlorine.”
Evaluate the student's claim.
98 exam-style questions on OCR GCSE Chemistry 3.4 Electrolysis, covering 3.4.1 Products formed at the electrodes in electrolysis and 3.4.2 The technique of electrolysis. Each one has a worked solution and a mark scheme showing where the marks go.