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Identify which two of the following substances will conduct electricity, and explain why.

a. Aluminum Foil
b. Sugar, C12H22O11, dissolved in water
c. Potassium Hydroxide, KOH, dissolved in water

1 Answer

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Final answer:

Aluminum foil will conduct electricity because it has free-moving electrons. Sugar, when dissolved in water, does not ionize and thus will not conduct electricity, making it a nonelectrolyte. Potassium Hydroxide dissolves into ions in water and is a strong electrolyte, so it will conduct electricity.

Step-by-step explanation:

To determine which substances will conduct electricity, we need to classify each as either an electrolyte or a nonelectrolyte. An electrolyte is a substance that when dissolved in water, breaks down into ions which are capable of carrying an electric charge. A nonelectrolyte does not break down into ions and therefore cannot conduct electricity.

a. Aluminum Foil is not a solution but is a metal, and metals conduct electricity due to the presence of free-moving electrons within the metal's structure. Therefore, aluminum foil will conduct electricity.

b. Sugar (C12H22O11), when dissolved in water, does not ionize and therefore is considered a nonelectrolyte. It will not conduct electricity when dissolved in water because it retains its molecular structure without forming ions.

c. Potassium Hydroxide (KOH), when dissolved in water, ionizes into K+ and OH- ions and is considered a strong electrolyte. This means that a solution of KOH will conduct electricity well due to the presence of these free-moving ions.

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