# Electrolysis of sea water; chlorine production.

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/electrolysis-of-sea-water-chlorine-production/819943>\
**Category:** Factual Questions\
**Created:** [August 21, 2018, 1:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/electrolysis-of-sea-water-chlorine-production/819943 "2018-08-21T01:36:49Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 3\
**Page:** 1

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![carnivorousplant](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carnivorousplant/32/3563_2.png) [@carnivorousplant](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carnivorousplant)\
**Post date:** [August 21, 2018, 1:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/electrolysis-of-sea-water-chlorine-production/819943/1 "2018-08-21T01:36:49Z")

</div>

An electrolysis device is used to kill marine aquarium pests, glass anemones and majano anemones. The device uses electrolysis to change the water in the anemones bodies to hydrogen and oxygen, obviously killing the pests.  
A warning on the device documentation is that chlorine gas is produced, and extended use may be harmful to fish.  
How does the electrolysis of sea water produce chlorine?  
Probably something to do with NaCl, I’ll warrant.

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![Arkcon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/96bed5/32.png) [@Arkcon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Arkcon)\
**Post date:** [August 21, 2018, 2:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/electrolysis-of-sea-water-chlorine-production/819943/2 "2018-08-21T02:14:35Z")

</div>

A-yup. [Chlorine production - Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chlorine_production)

Then again, sending electricity through a ting with even a rudimentary nervous system can be a pretty bad thing. You don’t need to make the living things water into gas. But I suppose that certainly helps get rid of them.

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![carnivorousplant](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carnivorousplant/32/3563_2.png) [@carnivorousplant](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carnivorousplant)\
**Post date:** [August 21, 2018, 12:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/electrolysis-of-sea-water-chlorine-production/819943/3 "2018-08-21T12:38:44Z")

</div>

Thanks, Arkcon.  
Anemone (Anemonae?) will reproduce from any bit of remaining material. This supposedly destroys the entire creature so that more will not grow from the pieces.