Question

Q4. A student was investigating a magnesium salt, X. The student found that X:

-has a high melting point
-does not conduct electricity
-dissolves in water and the solution conducts electricity.
What is the type of bonding in magnesium salt X? (1)
Explain why solid X does not conduct electricity but a solution of X does conduct
electricity. (2)

Answer 1

There are ionic bonds in magnesium salt.

Magnesium salt in a solid form doesn’t conduct electricity because the ions can’t move freely - they are bound in a lattice by electrostatic forces. However, the salt dissolves in water, so the ions can move freely in the solution and carry charge.