Electrolytes Essay, Research Paper
Electrolytes are liquids that conduct electricity. Most
need to be dissolved into water or another solvent.
Battery’s have an electrolyte in them, either as a liquid or
as a paste. Liquid electrolytes are used in electrolysis,
electroplating, and other chemical processes.
When electrolytes dissolve they release positive and
negative ions. The released ions carry electric charges
between electrodes, in the solution. Cations (a positively
charged ion that migrates to the cathode, a negative
electrode) carry positive electric charges toward the
cathode. Anions carry negative electric charges toward the
anode, positive electrode.
Strong electrolytes release many ions and conduct
electricity well. Weak electrolytes, like acetic acid,
don’t release many ions and conduct poorly. Non
electrolytes, like sugar, release no ions and form non
conducting solutions.
A couple electrolytes conduct electricity as solids.
These solid electrolytes have ions that can move and carry
charges without solvents.
There are two ways to be able to have ions that are
able to conduct electricity, the dissociation of Ionic
Compounds, and the Ionization of Polar Covalent Molecular
Substances.
The Dissociation of Ionic Compounds is where particles
are ionically (electrically) bonded together. They already
made out of cations and anions, but in their solid state the
ions are locked into position in their crystal structure,
and can’t move around. When the ionic compound is dissolved
into water the water molecules, which are polar,(having a
positive and a negative end) will be attracted to the
positive ions. This attraction of different charges will
create tension in the crystal and it will overcome the
attice (the arrangement of molecules in a crystalline solid)
energy keeping the crystal in place. Once this happens the
cations will be surrounded by water molecules, and so will
the anions. This is called the solution process. This
makes a lower order of organization of the ions. The ions
are now in a simpler form so they have higher mobility, and
can carry electrical particles to conduct electricity.
Salts that are completely dissolvable in water are
usually strong electrolytes. The salts that are barely
dissolvable are weak. The strength of an electrolyte is
measured by its ability to conduct electricity.
There’s also the way of Ionization of Polar Covalent
Molecular Substances. Polar molecular substances are
substances whose atoms are co-valently bonded. Each
molecule has a net molecular dipole moment (the product of
the distance between two poles of a dipole and the magnitude
or either pole) that is made because of the dipole moments
of the bonds do not cancel each other out. This dipole
moment makes each dipole having a positive and negative end
to the molecule. If the molecules are small enough, polar
water molecules can line up around the polar molecules
attracted to the negative ends and vise versa. This
attraction is called intermolecular force, This force can
overcome the dissociation energy of a bond within the polar
molecule. The dissociation energy is the least amount of
energy needed to break a bond between two atoms. If this
happens then the polar molecule will fragment with the
broken bond. This will make ions where there wasn’t any to
begin with. This is called ionization, and will end up with
ions in the molecule promoting electrical current flow. If
the bonds within the molecule are easier to break by the
water molecules then the degree of ionization will be
greater. More current will be conducted. These are strong
electrolytes.
Electrolytes are needed for the regulation of body
fluids, and the transmission of electrical impulses. They
are lost through perspiration, and have to be replaced.
There is no daily recommendation because they’re so abundant
it’s easy to get enough.