Electrolytes
Solutions Review
A solution is a homogeneous mixture of two or more substances in a single physical state. There are several properties of solutions:
1) Particles in solution are very small, usually atoms, molecules or ions.
2) Particles are evenly distributed. Every sample of the solution will have the same concentration or ratio of particles as every other sample of the same solution.
3) Particles will not separate out in a solution. Everything stays mixed up evenly.
There are two parts to a solution:
1) Solute - the substance that dissolves. It becomes similar to the solvent. In Kool-Aid, the powder and the sugar are the solutes.
2) Solvent - the substance the solute is dissolving into. In Kool-Aid, the water is the solvent.
There are 4 types of solutions:
1) Solid solutions, also called alloys. Examples are a gold ring, steel, brass.
2) Gas solutions. Example is air
3) Liquid solutions - Examples are gasoline, motor oil.
4) Aqueous solutions, where water is the solvent. These include, orange juice, milk, ocean water.
A solution is a homogeneous mixture of two or more substances in a single physical state. There are several properties of solutions:
1) Particles in solution are very small, usually atoms, molecules or ions.
2) Particles are evenly distributed. Every sample of the solution will have the same concentration or ratio of particles as every other sample of the same solution.
3) Particles will not separate out in a solution. Everything stays mixed up evenly.
There are two parts to a solution:
1) Solute - the substance that dissolves. It becomes similar to the solvent. In Kool-Aid, the powder and the sugar are the solutes.
2) Solvent - the substance the solute is dissolving into. In Kool-Aid, the water is the solvent.
There are 4 types of solutions:
1) Solid solutions, also called alloys. Examples are a gold ring, steel, brass.
2) Gas solutions. Example is air
3) Liquid solutions - Examples are gasoline, motor oil.
4) Aqueous solutions, where water is the solvent. These include, orange juice, milk, ocean water.
Electrolytes
When a solute dissolves in water, sometimes the resulting solution will conduct electricity and sometimes it will not conduct electricity. The explanation as to why comes from what happens to the solute as it dissolves. When an electrolyte dissolves, the solute breaks up into ions when it dissolves. Due to the fact that there are ions floating around in the solution, they will conduct the electricity through the water, and therefore are considered electrolytes. If the solute is broken apart into neutral whole molecules when it dissolves, the neutral molecules cannot conduct electricity. These substances that do not conduct electricity when dissolved are considered nonelectrolytes.
When a solute dissolves in water, sometimes the resulting solution will conduct electricity and sometimes it will not conduct electricity. The explanation as to why comes from what happens to the solute as it dissolves. When an electrolyte dissolves, the solute breaks up into ions when it dissolves. Due to the fact that there are ions floating around in the solution, they will conduct the electricity through the water, and therefore are considered electrolytes. If the solute is broken apart into neutral whole molecules when it dissolves, the neutral molecules cannot conduct electricity. These substances that do not conduct electricity when dissolved are considered nonelectrolytes.
The process of dissolving requires the solvent to break apart the solid into such small pieces that they cannot be seen anymore, and are spread apart. Since water is polar, the positive parts of the water molecule can attract to the negative parts of the electrolyte (usually an ionic compound), and pull the ion off and surround it in the water. Likewise, negative ends of the polar water molecule will rip off the positive ions in the salt and surround it in the water. This means free ions are floating around in the solution, making the solution able to conduct electricity.
A similar process happens to a nonelectrolyte, but the water does not have enough polarity to break the molecule into ions, and whole molecules of the solute float around in the water. |
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