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Solid sodium chloride will not conduct electricity, but molten sodium chloride does. What changes on melting?
AThe ions become neutral atoms again
BThe ions become free to move about
CThe ions break apart into electrons
DThe ions join up into whole molecules
Answer & Solution
Correct answer: B. The ions become free to move about
1. Conduction needs charged particles that can travel through the material.
2. In the solid, the ionic bonds are strong enough to lock every ion in the lattice.
3. Melting supplies enough energy to break that lattice apart.
4. The ions themselves survive melting and can now move, so charge flows.
5. If melting turned the ions into neutral atoms there would be no charge left to carry a current.
_Source: OpenStax Chemistry (CC BY 4.0), Chs 7 and 17, section 7.1 Ionic Bonding_
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