A process that uses electricity to purify metals by dissolving impure metal in a solution and depositing pure metal on a cathode.
From electro- (relating to electricity, from Greek elektron 'amber') + refining (making pure or elegant, from Old French fin 'fine'). The term emerged in the 19th century as electrochemistry developed.
Electrorefining is how we purify copper and gold to extreme purity levels that wouldn't be possible through melting alone—it's the reason computer chips and electronics can work reliably, because even tiny impurities would break them.
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