Heating & chemical Effect of Electric Current

Energy exists in various forms such as mechanical energy, heat energy, chemical energy, electrical energy, light energy and nuclear energy. According to the law of conservation of energy, energy can be transformed from one form to another.

Heating & chemical Effect of Electric Current

In our daily life we use many devices where the electrical energy is converted into heat energy, light energy, chemical energy or mechanical energy. When an electric current is passed through a metallic wire like filament of an electric heater, oven or geyser, the filament gets heated up and here electrical energy is converted into heat energy. This is known as ‘heating effect of current’.

When electric current flows through water (acidulated for better conduction ) then Hydrogen gas is found to be liberated at the cathode, while oxygen gas is liberated at the anode. This process of separating compounds into ions is called electrolysis. Solutions which are decomposed due to current passed through them are called electrolytes.