Can molecular compounds be electrolytes?

Category: science chemistry
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When a solute dissociates in water to form ions, it is called an electrolyte, due to the solution being a good electrical conductor. Most soluble ionic compounds and few molecular compounds are strong electrolytes. Most molecular compounds are weak or non electrolytes.



Then, what type of compounds are electrolytes?

Substances that dissolve in water to yield ions are called electrolytes. Electrolytes may be covalent compounds that chemically react with water to produce ions (for example, acids and bases), or they may be ionic compounds that dissociate to yield their constituent cations and anions, when dissolved.

Subsequently, question is, can polar molecules be considered electrolytes? Water and other polar molecules are attracted to ions, as shown in Figure 2. Under most conditions, ionic compounds will dissociate nearly completely when dissolved, and so they are classified as strong electrolytes.

Beside above, are molecular solutes electrolytes?

An electrolyte is any salt or ionizable molecule that, when dissolved in solution, will give that solution the ability to conduct electricity. Only compounds that dissociate into their component ions in solution qualify as electrolytes.

What are the 3 main electrolytes?

Sodium, calcium, potassium, chloride, phosphate, and magnesium are all electrolytes. You get them from the foods you eat and the fluids you drink. The levels of electrolytes in your body can become too low or too high. This can happen when the amount of water in your body changes.

38 Related Question Answers Found

Which is the strongest electrolyte?

Classifying Electrolytes
Strong Electrolytes strong acids HCl, HBr, HI, HNO3, HClO3, HClO4, and H2SO4
strong bases NaOH, KOH, LiOH, Ba(OH)2, and Ca(OH)2
salts NaCl, KBr, MgCl2, and many, many more
Weak Electrolytes
weak acids HF, HC2H3O2 (acetic acid), H2CO3 (carbonic acid), H3PO4 (phosphoric acid), and many more

Is Salt an electrolyte?

Placing a salt into a solvent (such as water) also results in an electrolyte solution, as the components in the salt dissociate in a process called solvation. Melted salts can also be electrolytes. For example, molten sodium chloride becomes a liquid that can conduct electricity.

Is LiOH strong or weak?

LiOH is a weak base because it is more covalent due to small size. So, they cannot yield hydroxyl ions easily in aqueous solutions which is the main cause of basicity. Why is the reaction between a weak acid and a strong base resulting in a pH above 7?

Is Vinegar an electrolyte?

Strong electrolytes are substances that completely break apart into ions when dissolved. The most familiar example of a strong electrolyte is table salt, sodium chloride. Weak acids such as acetic acid, found in vinegar, and weak bases such as ammonia, found in cleaning products, are examples of weak electrolytes.

How many different electrolytes are there?


In terms of body functioning, six electrolytes are most important: sodium, potassium, chloride, bicarbonate, calcium, and phosphate.

Is HCl a strong acid?

A strong acid is an acid which is completely ionized in an aqueous solution. Hydrogen chloride (HCl) ionizes completely into hydrogen ions and chloride ions in water. Because HCl is a strong acid, its conjugate base (Cl) is extremely weak.

Is water a Nonelectrolyte?

Water is considered a weak electrolyte by some sources because it partly dissociates into H+ and OH ions, but a nonelectrolyte by other sources because only a very small amount of water dissociates into ions.

What is electrolyte and example?

An electrolyte is a substance that produces an electrically conducting solution when dissolved in a polar solvent, such as water. Sodium, potassium, chloride, calcium, magnesium, and phosphate are examples of electrolytes.

What are strong bases?

Strong bases are able to completely dissociate in water
  • LiOH - lithium hydroxide.
  • NaOH - sodium hydroxide.
  • KOH - potassium hydroxide.
  • RbOH - rubidium hydroxide.
  • CsOH - cesium hydroxide.
  • *Ca(OH)2 - calcium hydroxide.
  • *Sr(OH)2 - strontium hydroxide.
  • *Ba(OH)2 - barium hydroxide.

What is a weak electrolyte example?


Weak Electrolyte Examples
HC2H3O2 (acetic acid), H2CO3 (carbonic acid), NH3 (ammonia), and H3PO4 (phosphoric acid) are all examples of weak electrolytes. Weak acids and weak bases are weak electrolytes. In contrast, strong acids, strong bases, and salts are strong electrolytes.

Is glucose an electrolyte?

Originally Answered: Is glucose an electrolyte - Answers? No it is not an electrolyte. Electrolytes would be Sodium, Calcium, Potassium, Magnesium (or ions of). Glucose is pretty much the only form of energy molecule (outside ketone metabolism) that the body cells can absorb for energy.

Is Sucrose a Nonelectrolyte?

Ionically bonded substances act as electrolytes. But covalently bonded compounds, in which no ions are present, are commonly nonelectrolytes. Table sugar, or sucrose, is a good example of a nonelectrolyte. You can dissolve sugar in water or melt it, but it won't have conductivity.

Is CaCO3 a strong electrolyte?

Even insoluble ionic compounds (e.g., AgCl, PbSO4, CaCO3) are strong electrolytes, because the small amounts that do dissolve in water do so principally as ions; i.e., there is virtually no undissociated form of the compound in solution.

Is water an electrolyte?

Water is a compound that has strong "bonds" among its constituents. The most familiar electrolytes are acids, bases, and salts, which ionize when dissolved in such solvents as water. Many salts, such as sodium chloride, behave as electrolytes when dissolved in water. Pure water will not behave as an electrolyte.

How are electrolytes formed?


Substances that give ions when dissolved in water are called electrolytes. These solutions conduct electricity due to the mobility of the positive and negative ions, which are called cations and anions respectively. Strong electrolytes completely ionize when dissolved, and no neutral molecules are formed in solution.

Is HCl a Nonelectrolyte?

Hydrogen chloride (HCl) is a gas in its pure molecular state and is a nonelectrolyte. When HCl is dissolved into water, it is called hydrochloric acid. Ionic compounds and some polar compounds are completely broken apart into ions and thus conduct a current very well.

What does Nonelectrolyte mean?

A nonelectrolyte is a substance that does not exist in an ionic form in aqueous solution. Nonelectrolytes tend to be poor electrical conductors and don't readily dissociate into ions when melted or dissolved. Solutions of nonelectrolytes do not conduct electricity.