During lab a student completely dissolved 0.5 g of a white solid in water, meani

Question

During lab a student completely dissolved 0.5 g of a white solid in water, meaning that all of the solid dissolved, none was left on the bottom of the beaker. She tested the conductivity of the solution and determined that the solution did not conduct electricity. After recording her observations the student wrote in her conclusion that “when the white solid dissolved it ‘just disappeared’ so some sort of error must have been made because all solids are ionic compounds and, therefore, are electrolytes.” Comment on the student’s conclusion. Is her statement a valid conclusion? If so, identify what is correct in her conclusion. If not, write a conclusion that would be correct.

Explanation / Answer

All the solids are not ionic compounds. It is true that all ionic compounds are electrolytes. Some solids are organic and non-electrolytes.

Nonelectrolytes are typically polar covalent substances that do dissolve in water as molecules instead of ions. Sugar (C12H22O11) is a good example of a nonelectrolyte. So the white solid is a non-electrolyte as sugar.

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