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Chapter 15: Problem 45

What is an electrolyte? What is a nonelectrolyte? Give some examples of each.

Short Answer

Expert verified
An electrolyte is a substance that conducts electricity when dissolved in water, as it dissociates into positive (cations) and negative (anions) ions. Examples of electrolytes include sodium chloride (NaCl), potassium chloride (KCl), and magnesium sulfate (MgSO4). On the other hand, a nonelectrolyte is a substance that does not conduct electricity when dissolved in water because it remains as molecules without an electric charge. Examples of nonelectrolytes include water (H2O), sugar (C12H22O11), and ethanol (C2H5OH).

Step by step solution

01

Definition of an electrolyte

An electrolyte is a substance that conducts electricity when dissolved in water. When an electrolyte dissolves in water, it dissociates into positive (cations) and negative (anions) ions. These ions are free to move and can conduct an electric current.
02

Definition of a nonelectrolyte

A nonelectrolyte is a substance that does not conduct electricity when dissolved in water. When a nonelectrolyte dissolves in water, it remains as molecules, not ions. These molecules do not conduct electricity because they do not have an electric charge.
03

Examples of electrolytes

Examples of electrolytes include common ionic compounds like sodium chloride (NaCl), potassium chloride (KCl), and magnesium sulfate (MgSO4). These substances dissociate in water, forming ions that can conduct electricity.
04

Examples of nonelectrolytes

Examples of nonelectrolytes include molecular substances such as water (H2O), sugar (C12H22O11), and ethanol (C2H5OH). These compounds do not dissociate into ions when dissolved in water, so they do not conduct electricity.

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Key Concepts

These are the key concepts you need to understand to accurately answer the question.

Nonelectrolyte
Nonelectrolytes are substances that, when dissolved in water, do not conduct electricity. This happens because these substances remain as whole molecules rather than breaking into ions. Without ions, there is no path for electric current to travel through the solution.

Nonelectrolytes are typically molecular substances, meaning they are made up of molecules held together by covalent bonds, in which atoms share electrons. This lack of ions differentiates them from electrolytes.
  • Examples of nonelectrolytes include sugar (C\(_{12}\)H\(_{22}\)O\(_{11}\)) and ethanol (C\(_2\)H\(_5\)OH).
  • When you dissolve sugar in water, for example, each sugar molecule remains intact and does not split into ions.

Understanding the concept of nonelectrolytes helps explain why certain solutions cannot conduct electricity, which is important in both chemistry and everyday applications.
Electric Conductivity
Electric conductivity in solutions depends largely on the presence of ions. Ions are charged particles that allow electrical current to move through a liquid. Solutions with high electrical conductivity typically contain large amounts of freely moving ions.

Electrolytes, when dissolved in water, dissociate into ions, making the solution conductive:
  • For example, table salt (sodium chloride, NaCl) dissociates into Na\(^+\) and Cl\(^-\) ions.
  • The movement of these ions allows the solution to conduct electricity.

In contrast, nonelectrolytes do not increase electric conductivity because they do not form ions upon dissolving. This is why they are used in situations where a non-conductive solution is desired, like in certain antifreezes or glucose solutions used for medical purposes.
Ionic Compounds
Ionic compounds are crucial in understanding why certain substances are strong electrolytes. These compounds are made up of positive and negative ions held together by strong electrostatic forces, commonly referred to as ionic bonds. When ionic compounds dissolve in water, they dissociate fully into their constituent ions.

Consider sodium chloride (NaCl):
  • When NaCl dissolves in water, it separates into sodium ions (Na\(^+\)) and chloride ions (Cl\(^-\)).
  • These ions can move freely, thus allowing the flow of electric current.

Ionic compounds, therefore, are excellent electrolytes due to the dissociation of ions, which provides the "pathway" for electrical conductivity in a solution.
Molecular Substances
Molecular substances differ significantly from ionic compounds because they are held together by covalent bonds, where electrons are shared between atoms. These substances do not dissociate into ions in solution, leading them to behave as nonelectrolytes.

Some examples of molecular substances include water (H\(_2\)O) and sugar (C\(_{12}\)H\(_{22}\)O\(_{11}\)). Upon dissolving:
  • Water molecules remain intact as H\(_2\)O; they do not split into H\(^+\) and O\(^-\) ions.
  • Sugar also remains in its molecular form, interacting with water molecules but not conducting electricity.

Since molecular substances do not provide ions in solution, their solutions are often poor conductors of electricity, unless mixed with substances that are electrolytes. This distinction is essential for understanding the behavior of different compounds in various chemical and physical processes.

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Most popular questions from this chapter

If pure water has both hydronium ions (acid) and hydroxide ions (base) in it, how can it be neutral?

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