Water Is Often Not an Ideal Solvent

If water were the ideal solvent, there would be no need to consider other solvents.  

However, in many situations, water is hardly the ideal solvent. Take the electrolytic production of sodium metal, for exanple. If an aqueous solution of a sodium salt is taken in an electrolytic cell and a current is passed between two electrodes, then all that will happen at the cathode is the liberation of hydrogen gas there will be no electrodeposition of sodium (see Chapter 7). Hence, sodium cannot be electrowon from aqueous solutions. This is why the electrolytic extraction of sodium has taken place from molten sodium hydroxide, i.e., from a medium free of hydrogen. This  

A nonaqueous solution must be able to conduct electricity if it is going to be useful. What determines the conductivity of a nonaqueous solution Here, the theoretieal principles involved in the conductance behavior of true electrolytes in nonaqueous solvents will be sketched. However, before that, let the pluses and minuses of working with nonaqueous solutions (particularly those involving organic solvents) be laid out. 

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