Answer to Question #115250 in Chemistry for tristan

Question

Which of the following solutions would you expect not to conduct electricity?

HCl in water
sugar in water
NaCl in water
H₂SO₄ in water

Answer 1

Answer:

In order to conduct electricity, the solution must contain ions. HCl, NaCl and H₂SO₄ dissociate in water and form ions:

HCl +H₂O $\rightarrow$ H₃O⁺ + Cl^-

NaCl $\rightarrow$ Na⁺ + Cl^-

H₂SO₄ + 2H₂O $\rightarrow$ 2H₃O⁺ + SO₄^2-.

On the contrary, sugar C₁₂H₂₂O₁₁ doesn't form ions in water. Therefore, a solution of sugar in water is not expected to conduct electricity.