In the 1800s, chemist Michael Faraday discovered that water could be decomposed in an electrolytic solution into its elements. This discovery was made through the use of an electric current in a process now known as electrolysis. This was the first systematic study of electrolytic solutions (Lower, n.d.). Faraday observed that two requirements must be met in order for a sample of matter to be an electrical conductor. The first requirement is that the sample must contain electrically charged particles. The second requirement is that the electrically charged particles must be able to freely move when electricity is applied to them. Faraday named these “charge carriers” ions. Faraday also introduced the terms cation and anion to distinguish the
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Solutions with a low pH level have a high concentration of hydrogen atoms, they are known as acids. Solutions with a high pH have low concentrations of pH atoms, they are known as bases. Electrolytes can be categorized into two groups: strong electrolytes and weak electrolytes. Strong electrolytes are soluble and completely ionize in water. Weak electrolytes do not completely dissolve and still contain entire compounds and ions in their solutions. Strong acids and bases are typically strong electrolytes, and weak acids and bases are typically weak …show more content…
Similar to strong acids, strong bases are also good conductors of electricity due to their large concentration of ions. Examples of strong bases are calcium hydroxide and barium hydroxide. Weak bases produce a very low concentration of hydroxide ions, and thus, are poor conductors of electricity. Ammonia and ethylamine are examples of weak bases. As shown in the reaction below, the position of equilibrium gives the reactants an advantage.
Strong base: BOH + H2O → B+ (aq) + OH‐ (aq)
Weak base: NH3 + H2O ↔ NH4 + (aq) + OH‐
Solutions with a low pH level have a high concentration of hydrogen atoms, they are known as acids. Solutions with a high pH have low concentrations of pH atoms, they are known as bases. Electrolytes can be categorized into two groups: strong electrolytes and weak electrolytes. Strong electrolytes are soluble and completely ionize in water. Weak electrolytes do not completely dissolve and still contain entire compounds and ions in their solutions. Strong acids and bases are typically strong electrolytes, and weak acids and bases are typically weak …show more content…
Similar to strong acids, strong bases are also good conductors of electricity due to their large concentration of ions. Examples of strong bases are calcium hydroxide and barium hydroxide. Weak bases produce a very low concentration of hydroxide ions, and thus, are poor conductors of electricity. Ammonia and ethylamine are examples of weak bases. As shown in the reaction below, the position of equilibrium gives the reactants an advantage.
Strong base: BOH + H2O → B+ (aq) + OH‐ (aq)
Weak base: NH3 + H2O ↔ NH4 + (aq) + OH‐