Electrolytes are liquids that conduct electricity.
Most electrolytes need to be dissolved in water or another solvent. Batteries have an electrolyte in them, either as a liquid or 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, which are positively charged ions that migrate to the cathode (a negative electrode), carry positive electric charges toward the cathode. Anions carry negative electric charges toward the anode. Strong electrolytes release many ions and conduct electricity well. Weak electrolytes, like acetic acid, do not release many ions and conduct poorly. Non-electrolytes, like sugar, release no ions and do not conduct electricity. Some electrolytes can conduct electricity as solids because they have ions that can move and carry charges. There are two ways to have ions that can conduct electricity: the dissociation of ionic compounds and the ionization of polar covalent molecular compounds. The dissociation of ionic compounds occurs when particles are ionically (electrically) bonded together.
They already made ions out of cations and anions, but in their solid state, the ions are locked into position in their crystal structure and cannot move around. When the ionic compound is dissolved in water, the polar water molecules (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 overcome the lattice energy keeping the crystal in place. Once this happens, the cations will be surrounded by water molecules, as will the anions.
This is called the solution process. It 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, while the salts that are barely dissolvable are weak.
The strength of an electrolyte is measured by its ability to conduct electricity. There is also the process of ionization of polar covalent molecular substances. Polar molecular substances are substances whose atoms are covalently bonded. Each molecule has a net molecular dipole moment, which is the product of the distance between two poles of a dipole and the magnitude of either pole. This dipole moment is created because the dipole moments of the bonds do not cancel each other out. The dipole moment causes each dipole to have 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 vice versa.
This attraction is called intermolecular force. It can overcome the dissociation energy of a bond within a polar molecule. The dissociation energy is the minimum amount of energy needed to break a bond between two atoms. If this occurs, the polar molecule will fragment with the broken bond, resulting in ions where none existed before. This process is known as ionization and will ultimately lead to 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. This will result in more current being conducted. Strong 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 are so abundant. Bibliography:
