--- title: "Kolbe electrolysis Template – Chemistry Diagram | MolDraw" url: https://www.moldraw.com/templates/kolbe-electrolysis/ description: "Kolbe electrolysis template: At the anode acetate gives up one electron; the acetoxyl radical loses CO₂ and two methyl radicals combine to ethane. Water is…" lang: en publisher: Scidart Academy generated: 2026-10-28 --- [MolDraw](https://www.moldraw.com/) › [Templates](https://www.moldraw.com/templates/) › [Name reactions](https://www.moldraw.com/templates/name-reactions/) › Kolbe electrolysis [Name reactions](https://www.moldraw.com/templates/name-reactions/)Premium # Kolbe electrolysis template ![Kolbe electrolysis template: At the anode acetate gives up one electron; the acetoxyl radical loses CO₂ and two methyl radicals combine to ethane. Water is reduced to H₂ and OH⁻ at the cathode.](https://www.moldraw.com/templates/kolbe-electrolysis.webp) [Edit in MolDraw](https://www.moldraw.com/)Download with Pro Premium template. Preview and edit it free in MolDraw; downloading and exporting it is part of [MolDraw Pro](https://www.moldraw.com/pricing). At the anode acetate gives up one electron; the acetoxyl radical loses CO₂ and two methyl radicals combine to ethane. Water is reduced to H₂ and OH⁻ at the cathode. ## Mechanism step by step Electrolysis of a carboxylate salt: radicals lose CO₂ and pair up to an alkane 1. **Anode: oxidation** – Acetate gives one electron to the anode: an acetoxyl radical 2. **Decarboxylation** – The acetoxyl radical loses CO₂: a methyl radical 3. **Coupling** – Two methyl radicals pair their electrons: ethane ## Key points - Overall: 2 CH₃COONa + 2 H₂O → C₂H₆ + 2 CO₂ + H₂ + 2 NaOH. - Cathode: 2 H₂O + 2 e⁻ → H₂ + 2 OH⁻, so the solution turns alkaline. - Gives alkanes with an even number of carbons (R–R); a mixture of two salts gives three alkanes. - Methane cannot be made this way: the smallest product is ethane. Drawn with 30 atoms, 9 arrows, 9 shapes – every one editable in MolDraw. ## Sources - [Smith, March's Advanced Organic Chemistry, 8th ed., Wiley 2020](https://openlibrary.org/isbn/9781119371809) Textbook ## How to use this template 1. Press **Edit in MolDraw**. The template opens on the canvas of the free MolDraw editor. 2. Change anything: move structures, edit atoms and labels, recolour highlights or delete what you do not need. 3. Add your own structures, arrows and text next to it, or combine several templates on one page. 4. Export the drawing as PNG, SVG or PDF for slides, worksheets, theses and papers. ## Frequently asked questions ### Is the Kolbe electrolysis template free? You can preview the Kolbe electrolysis template here and open and edit it in MolDraw for free. Downloading or exporting it is part of MolDraw Pro, together with the other premium templates. ### Can I edit the Kolbe electrolysis template? Yes. It opens as an ordinary MolDraw drawing, so every structure, arrow, label and colour can be changed, and you can add your own content around it. ### Is the chemistry checked? Every structure is checked with RDKit and every curly arrow passes MolDraw’s electron-flow audit. The sources used are listed on this page. ### Which name reactions are included? 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