Electrolytes: Definition, Examples, & Practice

To tell if a substance is an electrolyte or non-electrolyte we first need to know what type of compound we have and if it will produce ions when dissolved in water.

--- Definition---
An electrolyte is: a substance that dissolves in water (or other polar solvent) to produce ions and a solution that conducts electricity.

----- Classifying Electrolytes -----
- Strong Electrolyte: completely dissociate in solution and conducts electricity. Soluble ionic compounds and strong acids are electrolytes.
- Weak Electrolyte: partially dissociate in solution and poorly conduct electricity.
- Non-Electrolytes: do not dissociate into ions and do not conduct electricity. Most molecular compounds are non-electrolytes.

----- More Definitions -----
- Strong Electrolyte: completely dissociate in solution and conducts electricity. Soluble ionic compounds and strong acids are electrolytes.
- Weak Electrolyte: partially dissociate in solution and poorly conduct electricity.
- Non-Electrolytes: do not dissociate into ions and do not conduct electricity. Most molecular compounds are non-electrolytes.

----- Helpful Resources -----
Metals, Non-Metals on the Periodic Table: https://youtu.be/OoooStZQHdA
Ionic, Covalent, & Polar Covalent: https://youtu.be/OHFGXfWB_r4
Solubility Table: https://youtu.be/b0pDquyGSdk)
Solubility Rules: https://youtu.be/zffVKN6tm7k

Sports drinks, like Gatorade or Powerade, consist of primarily Potassium and Sodium electrolytes to provide hydration due to sweating. Other important electrolytes are chloride , calcium, magnesium, and phosphate. Drinks containing electrolytes are also used extensively in medicine for oral rehydration.

More chemistry at www.breslyn.org .