A Note on Electrolysis

How many times have you heard someone say they have an electrolysis problem? 

We hear it all the time. It’s commonly used as synonym for corrosion, most often when people describe the symptoms of electrolytic corrosion. It’s easy to see why, the two words being quite similar.

But electrolysis is not a type of corrosion. Despite the similarity to the word “electrolytic”, electrolysis is an unrelated process.

So, if it’s not corrosion, what is it, then? Well, “lysis” itself means “to break” or “to separate”. And “electro”, logically enough, pertains to electricity. Electrolysis then refers to breaking down by means of electricity. This is nearly always done on purpose, in various scientific and industrial capacities. It can be used for hydrogen production (splitting the H20 molecule apart into hydrogen and oxygen). Electrolysis can even be used to produce metals, in conjunction with pyrometallurgical and hydrometallurgical processes. It’s part of electroplating, it’s used in purifying copper, and yes, it can be used in hair removal. These are all fascinating – well, maybe not so much the hair removal one - and all of them are beyond the scope of our focus here. They also, noticeably, do not speak to any corrosion process.

So, the next time you hear someone say they’re seeing electrolysis… well, it would probably be rude to correct them, but you could.