Does solid sodium chloride conduct electricity? Explain.

Answer 1

No, solid NaCl does not conduct electricity. The compound NaCl is an ionic compound. The single valence electron of Na atom is transferred to a Cl atom resulting in an Na⁺ cation and a Cl^- anion. These ions organize themselves in a cubic lattice with alternating cations and anions in all three directions.

Electrostatic forces of attraction effectively lock the cations and anions in place. There is a so-called lattice energy associated with this No electric field of reasonable magnitude can disturb this locked structure to any significant extent. Also, the extra electron on the Cl^- anion is strongly bound there. Again, no electric filed of reasonable magnitude can pull it off. The result is an insulating crystal.

However, the solid will dissolve readily in water. This is because the entropy associated with letting Na⁺ cations and Cl^- anions becoming disordered (spatially) more than offsets the lattice energy . In water solution, the Na⁺ cations and Cl^- anions are free to move and will do so readily when an electric field is applied. This results in conductivity