Bonding Clues Electrolytes and Nonelectrolytes

Scientists can get some good clues about the type of bonding in a compound by discovering whether a substcuice is an electrolyte or a nonelectrolyte, lonically bonded substcuices act tis electrolytes, but covalently bonded compounds, in which no ions are present, are commonly nonelectrolytes. 

Electrolytes are substances that conduct electricity in the molten state or when dissolved in water. For instance, sodium chloride is an electrolyte because it conducts an electrical current when dissolved in water. If you were to melt pure NaCl (which requires a lot of heat ) and then check the conductivity of the molten salt, you d find that the molten table salt also conducts electricity. In the molten state, the NaCl ions eire free to move and Ccirry electrons, just as they are in the saltwater solution. 

Substances that don t conduct electricity when in these states are called nonelectrolytes. Table sugar, or sucrose, is a good exeimple of a nonelectroljde. You can dissolve sugeir in water or melt it, but it won t have conductivity. No ions eire present to transfer the electrons. 

MM/ hat holds together sugar, vinegeir, and even DNA Not wW ionic bonds In this chapter, 1 discuss the other major type of bonding covalent bonding. 1 explain the basics with an extremely simple covalent compound, hydrogen. 

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