Which of the following is a nonelectrolyte? Please state why or why not for each. Thanks
a) NaOH
b) HNO3
c) C2H6O (ethanol)
d) KF
e) CH3COOH (acetic acid)
The correct answer and explanation is :
The correct answer is c) C2H6O (ethanol).
To understand why, let’s analyze each compound:
a) NaOH (Sodium Hydroxide)
Sodium Hydroxide is an electrolyte because when dissolved in water, it dissociates completely into sodium ions (Na⁺) and hydroxide ions (OH⁻). These ions are free to move and conduct electricity, making NaOH a strong electrolyte.
b) HNO3 (Nitric Acid)
Nitric Acid is also an electrolyte. When it dissolves in water, it dissociates completely into hydrogen ions (H⁺) and nitrate ions (NO₃⁻). These ions, once free in solution, enable the conduction of electricity, so HNO3 is a strong electrolyte.
c) C2H6O (Ethanol)
Ethanol (C₂H₆O) is a nonelectrolyte. It does not dissociate into ions when dissolved in water. Instead, it forms hydrogen bonds with water molecules. Ethanol remains intact as neutral molecules, and because it does not produce ions in solution, it does not conduct electricity. Hence, ethanol is classified as a nonelectrolyte.
d) KF (Potassium Fluoride)
Potassium Fluoride is an electrolyte. When dissolved in water, KF dissociates completely into potassium ions (K⁺) and fluoride ions (F⁻). These ions can move freely in solution, which allows the solution to conduct electricity. Therefore, KF is a strong electrolyte.
e) CH3COOH (Acetic Acid)
Acetic Acid is a weak electrolyte. It partially dissociates in water into hydrogen ions (H⁺) and acetate ions (CH₃COO⁻). Since it does not completely dissociate, the solution has a relatively low concentration of ions, which means that while it can conduct electricity, it is not as effective as strong electrolytes like HNO3 or NaOH.
Conclusion
Ethanol (C2H6O) is the only compound on the list that does not dissociate into ions and thus is the only nonelectrolyte. All the others are either strong or weak electrolytes, capable of conducting electricity due to the presence of free ions in solution.