Electrolyte and Non-electrolyte Solutions

Electricity is one of the basic forms of energy which is associated

electricity charge, that is a property of certain elementary particles such as
electrons and protons. Electricity consists of charges carried by electrons,
proton and ions in the form of electric current. An electric current is a
movement of electricity charge. If two objects with different charges touch,
an electric currents flows from one object to other until the charge is
distributed according to the capacitances of the objects. Generally the
particles of electric charge carrier and flows easily through some solids such
as copper, iron, steel and graphite and most metals. However, do you know
that electricity can flow through a certain solutions called electrolyte
solutions?

Conductor and insulators

In a conductor, electric current can flow freely, in an insulator it

cannot. Metals such as copper typify conductors, while most non-metallic
solids are said to be good insulators, having extremely high resistance to the
flow of charge through them. The existence of an electric current on a
material can be demonstrated by connecting a small light bulb to an electric
battery by using the material. When the connections are properly made and
material used is a conductor, then current flows through the material and
the bulb, causing the bulb to glow. However if the connector material and
the bulb, so that bulb do not to glow. Consider following illustration figure.

conductor

"Conductor" implies that the outer electrons of the atoms are loosely
bound and free to move through the material. Most atoms hold on to their
electrons tightly and are insulators. In copper, the valence electrons are
essentially free and strongly repel each other. Any external influence which
moves one of them will cause a repulsion of other electrons which
propagates, "domino fashion" through the conductor.

Simply stated, most metals are good electrical conductors, most

nonmetals are not. Metals are also generally good heat conductors while
nonmetals are not.

Definitions of electrolytes

Actually the pure water is an insulator, but when a substances, such as

sodium chloride is dissolved in water and form a solution, then the solution
can conduct electricity. A solutions which can conducts electricity is called
electrolyte solution. An electrolyte is any substance containing free ions that
behaves as an electrically conductive medium. Because they generally
consist of ions in solution, electrolytes are also known as ionic solutions, but
molten electrolytes and solid electrolytes are also possible.
 Figure Electrolytes test instrument

Electrolytes commonly exist as solutions of acids, bases or salts.

Furthermore, some gases may act as electrolytes under conditions of high
temperature or low pressure. Electrolyte solutions can also result from the
dissolution of some biological (e.g. DNA, polypeptides) and synthetic
polymers (e.g. polystyrene sulfonate), termed polyelectrolytes, which contain
multiple charged moieties.

Electrolyte solutions are normally formed when a salt is placed into a

solvent such as water and the individual components dissociate due to the
thermodynamic interactions between solvent and solute molecules, in a
process called solvation. For example, when table salt, NaCl, is placed in
water, the salt (a solid) dissolves into its component elements. This can be
represented thusly:

NaCl(s) → Na+(aq) + Cl−(aq)

It is also possible for substances to react with water when they are
added to it, producing ions, e.g. carbon dioxide gas dissolves in water to
produce a solution which contains hydronium, carbonate, and hydrogen
carbonate ions. Note that molten salts can be electrolytes as well. For
instance, when sodium chloride is molten, the liquid conducts electricity.

An electrolyte in a solution may be described as concentrated if it has

a high concentration of ions, or dilute if it has a low concentration. If a high
proportion of the solute dissociates to form free ions, the electrolyte is
strong; if most of the solute does not dissociate, the electrolyte is weak. The
properties of electrolytes may be exploited using electrolysis to extract
constituent elements and compounds contained within the solution.

Electrolyte intensity

Based on result of the activity above, beside can determine solution which
include in electrolyte solutions or non electrolyte solution, we can also
determine the electrolyte intensity . by using electrolyte tester equiped by
lamp indicator, we can know that hydrogen chloride solution (HCl) a has
electric conductivity which better than vinegar solution (CH3COOH) at the
same concentration shown by the brightness quality of glowing lamp
(indicator). This case happened because HCl is a strong electrolyte while
CH3COOH is a weak electrolyte.

a. Strong electrolyte

A strong electrolyte is a solute that completely, or almost completely, ionizes

or dissociates in a solution. These ions are good conductors of electric
current in the solution.

Originally, a "strong electrolyte" was defined as a chemical that, when in

aqueous solution, is a good conductor of electricity. With greater
understanding of the properties of ions in solution its definition was gradually
changed to the present one.

Electrolyte intensity is relate to the number of ions were in the solution the
strong electrolyte in water will be ionized perfectly. Meaning, the electrolyte
will be dissociated entirely become the ions. Meanwhile a weak electrolyte
will e dissociated poorly in water, so that number of ions in the solution do
not as much as in the strong electrolyte solution at the same concentration

For strong electrolytes, a single reaction arrow shows that the reaction
occurs completely in one direction, in contrast to the dissociation of weak
electrolytes, which both ionize and re-bond in significant quantities.

Strong electrolyte(aq) → Cation+(aq) + Anion-(aq)

Strong electrolytes conduct electricity only when molten or in aqueous

solutions. Strong electrolytes break apart into ions completely.
The stronger an electrolyte the greater the voltage produced when used in a
galvanic cell.

Examples strong Electrolyte

no acid base salt

1 HCl NaOH NaCl

2 H2SO4 Ca(OH)2 CaSO4

3 HNO3 Mg(OH)2 KF

4 HI LiOH KI

5 HBr… KOH MgCl2

b. Weak electrolyte

weak electrolyte: an electrolyte that gives a low percentage yield of ions when
dissolved in water. A weak electrolyte is a compound that when dissolved in water
only partially ionizes or dissociates into ions. That is, the compound exists in water
as a mixture of individual ions and intact molecules. This solution conducts
electricity weakly.

c. Non-electrolyte

a substance that does not readily ionize when dissolved or melted and is a poor
conductor of electricity. Nonelectrolytes are compounds which dissolve in water but
do not ionize or dissociate into ions. These would be molecular compounds other
than the acids or bases already discussed. A non-electrolyte is a compound that
when dissolved in water does not ionize or dissociate into ions at all. In water, this
compound exists entirely as intact molecules. The solution does not conduct
electricity at all.
 Students work paper

Problem: Which materials are strong electrolytes, weak Electrolytes and non-
electrolytes?

Materials: 1.5V Dry Cell, 1.5V Lamp With Sockets, 2 Connecting Wires,

Test Materials: salt solution, mount water , H2SO4, Vinegar, sugar solutions,
CO(NH2)2 (ureum solution)

Procedure:

1. Set up a dry cell, lamp and connecting wires as shown in figure. Have your
teacher check you setup before proceeding.

1. Dry cell

2. Connecting wires
3. Bulb lamp
4. Carbon
5. Carbon
6. Test materials
7. Beaker glass
2. Keep the ends of the two test. Bring the ends of the wires into contact with
each of the test materials to be tested. Record your observations in the data
table.
 3. After you have tested all of the materials, disconnect the wires from the dry
cell.

no Material light Bulb gases No activity

1 Vinegar

2 H2SO4

3 NaCl (salt solution)

4 Mount Water

5 Sugar Solution

6 Syrup

7 CO(NH2)2

Analyze Data:

1. Which of the materials you tested are strong electrolytes?

2. Which of the materials you tested are Weak electrolytes?
3. Which of the materials you tested are non- electrolytes?

Additional Conclusion Questions:

Use what you have learned in this investigation to explain your observations

Explain about strong electrolytes, weak electrolytes and non electrolytes?