write a brief explanation of what would happen to the conductivity of the ionic solutions if you were to mix in a covalent compound such as sugar or one of the covalent solutions. Where have you seen a similar experiment and results?
Adding sugar to a solution already prepared with ionic material will not change the conductivity.
If you were to mix a covalent compound, such as sugar, into an ionic solution, it would not significantly affect the conductivity of the solution. This is because covalent compounds, including sugar, do not ionize or dissociate into charged particles when dissolved in water or other solvents. Instead, they remain as discrete molecules.
Ionic solutions, on the other hand, contain ions that are responsible for their high conductivity. These ions come from ionic compounds which easily dissociate into positive and negative ions in solution. When an electric field is applied across the solution, the ions can move freely and carry the electric charge, resulting in high conductivity.
When a covalent compound, like sugar, is added to an ionic solution, it does not contribute any ions to the solution. Therefore, the overall conductivity of the solution remains primarily determined by the concentration of the ions provided by the ionic compound, rather than the presence of the covalent compound.
A similar experiment to demonstrate this concept can be seen in the mixing of table salt (an ionic compound) and sugar (a covalent compound) in water. When both substances are added to water, the salt dissociates into ions while the sugar remains as intact molecules. If conductivity is measured, it would be observed that the resulting solution conducts electricity due to the presence of the ions from the salt, but not from the sugar.
When a covalent compound, like sugar, is mixed with an ionic solution, it does not dissociate into ions like the ionic compounds. Consequently, the conductivity of the resulting solution decreases compared to the original ionic solution.
In an experiment, you can observe this phenomenon by preparing two beakers. In the first beaker, create an ionic solution by dissolving a soluble ionic compound (e.g., table salt) in water. In the second beaker, create a covalent solution by dissolving a covalent compound (e.g., sugar) in water. Measure the conductivity of each solution separately using a conductivity meter or a multimeter set to measure conductivity.
Next, mix the covalent solution (sugar solution) into the ionic solution (salt solution) and measure the conductivity of the resulting mixture. You will notice that the conductivity of the mixture is lower than that of the original ionic solution. This decrease occurs because the covalent compound (sugar) does not contribute to the conductivity since it does not dissociate into ions.
A similar experiment can be found in chemistry laboratories, where students explore the conductivity of different solutions. It is commonly used to compare the electrical conductivity of ionic and covalent compounds in aqueous solutions.