An electrolyte will yield ions by undergoing a:
Select the correct answer below:
physical change
chemical change
spontaneous change
depends on the substance
The correct answer and explanation is :
The correct answer is: chemical change.
Explanation:
An electrolyte is a substance that dissociates into ions when dissolved in a solvent, such as water, or when melted. The process of an electrolyte yielding ions involves a chemical change because it requires breaking or forming chemical bonds, which is characteristic of chemical reactions.
To understand why this is a chemical change, it’s essential to differentiate between physical changes and chemical changes. A physical change involves a change in the state or appearance of a substance without altering its chemical composition. For example, dissolving sugar in water is a physical change because the chemical structure of sugar remains the same.
On the other hand, a chemical change results in the formation of new substances with different chemical properties. When an electrolyte dissolves in water (or undergoes melting), it separates into positively charged ions (cations) and negatively charged ions (anions). This process involves the breaking of ionic bonds within the electrolyte, which is a fundamental characteristic of chemical changes.
The dissociation of an electrolyte is governed by the ionic bond, which holds the positive and negative ions together. When the electrolyte dissolves, the solvent molecules (like water) interact with the ions, breaking the ionic bond. This results in the ions being free to move independently in the solution, making the solution conductive to electricity. This process is known as dissociation and is a chemical change because it alters the nature of the substance at a molecular level.
For example, sodium chloride (NaCl), when dissolved in water, dissociates into Na⁺ and Cl⁻ ions. This dissociation requires energy and results in a different set of chemical species in the solution, confirming it as a chemical change. Similarly, when an electrolyte melts, it undergoes a chemical transformation from a solid to a liquid phase, during which the ions become mobile.
Thus, the yielding of ions by an electrolyte involves a chemical change rather than a physical or spontaneous change.