Electrolytes And NonElectrolytes

Experiment 4

Doliente, Jonica Ella R.

OUTLINE

Polar nature of water

Ionic compounds in water
Electrical Conductivity Set-up
Covalent compounds in water
Answers To Questions

Polar Nature Of Water

Two feature of its molecules:
Distribution of the bonding electrons
Overall shape

In O-H bond in water, the shared

electrons spend more time closer to
the O atom.
Water molecules are bent.

Ionic Compounds In Water

RECALL: In ionic solid, there is
electrostatic attraction.
Water separates the ions by replacing
that attraction with one between the
water molecules and the ions.
ion-water > ion-ion: ions separate
(dissociate) and become solvated.

Ionic Compounds In Water

Solvated ions are surrounded
tightly by solvent molecules, as they
move randomly in the solution.
NOT ALL IONIC COMPOUNDS
DISSOLVE IN WATER: ion-ion > ionwater
e.g. Solubility of NaCl in H2O at 20C =
365 g/L
Solubility of AgCl in H2O at 20C = 0.009 g/L

Electrical Conductivity Set-Up

Electrolyte a substance that
conducts a current when dissolved in
water
Soluble ionic compounds are called
strong electrolytes because they
dissociate completely into ions and
create a large current.

Electrical Conductivity Set-Up

Fig 1. Simple Electrical Conductivity

Set-up,

Covalent Compounds In Water

Water dissolves many covalent compounds
also.
e.g. Table sugar (sucrose, C12H22O11), beverage
(grain) alcohol (erhanol, CH3CH2OH), and automobile
antufreeze (ethylene glycol, HOCH2CH2OH)

All contain polar bonds!

They dissolve but do not dissociate into ions
but remain as intact molecules.

Covalent Compounds In Water

They do not conduct electricity, thus
they are called non-electrolytes.

ANSWERS TO QUESTIONS

Strong, weak, and non-electrolyte

solutions
SOLUTIONS

CONDUCTIVITY

CLASSIFICATION

1 M HCl(aq)

Bright

Strong

1 M CH3COOH(aq)

Dim

Weak

1 M NaOH(aq)

Bright

Strong

1 M NH3(aq)

Dim

Weak

1 M NaCl

Bright

Strong

1 M NaCH3COOH(aq)

Bright

Strong

Sucrose(aq)

None

Non-Electrolyte

2 M NH3(aq) + 2 M
CH3COOH(aq)

Bright

Strong

2 M NH3(aq) + 2 M HCl(aq)

Bright

Strong

Distilled Water

None

Non-Electrolyte

Glacial CH3COOH

None

Non-Electrolyte

Glacial CH3COOH
+ Water

None To Dim

Non-Electrolyte To
Weak

HCl(aq) vs CH3COOH(aq); NaOH(aq) vs

NH3(aq)
HCl(aq) is a strong acid while
CH3COOH(aq) is a weak acid, therefore
the degree of ionization of HCl(aq) is
greater than CH3COOH(aq). Likewise,
NaOH(aq) is a stronger base than
NH3(aq), therefore the degree of
ionization of NaOH(aq) is greater than
NH3(aq).

Strong Electrolyte: ammonia +

acetic acid
NH3(aq) + CH3COOH(aq)
CH3COO-(aq)

NH4+(aq) +

Mixing the two solutions produces

NH4+(aq) and CH3COO-(aq) ions, thus
making the solution a strong
electrolyte.

Glacial CH3COOH upon dilution

Glacial acetic acid is a non-electrolyte but
upon dilution, its conductance increases
because as more water is added to the
solution, the more the ions are produced;
addition of water molecules allows for an
increase in dissociation or ionization of
acetic acid.
CH3COOH(l) + H2O(aq)
CH3COO-(aq)

H3O+(aq) +