Topics 4.1 - 4.4

[@juliehahm385]

Your willingness to share your material makes me a better teacher and my students benefit from that! Thank you!!!

[@theleaf6772]

This video helped me a lot. I just don't understand how a ionic compound like NaCl can conduct electricity when molten. What I am guessing is that since it is molten, heat has been applied to NaCl (s). The heat provides kinetic energy to NaCl(s). This kinetic energy overcomes the ionic bond between Na+ and Cl- which makes them disassociate, freeing them from the crystal lattice. Since they are free flowing, they can conduct electricity. Though that is just my hypothesis with a background of a couple months of taking AP Chem. Could you clarify this for me?

[@mrfarabaugh]

@@theleaf6772 The ions of Na⁺ and Cl⁻ are charged particles. The flow of electricity is basically the flow of electrons through a wire. Electrons are also charged particles. In solid NaCl, the ions are unable to move and flow. Therefore the electricity cannot flow through that solid. When NaCl melts, the solid structure changes into a liquid. In the liquid form, the Na⁺ and Cl⁻ particles are no longer locked in a rigid Crystal lattice. They can move and flow because of that increase in kinetic energy that you mentioned, which had broken up some of the attractions between the ions.

[@theleaf6772]

@@mrfarabaugh Thank you. This really helped my understanding.