Why does an ionic compound conduct an electric current when the compound is melted?

Answer 1

When an ionic compound is melted, the solid lattice structure breaks down, allowing the ions to move freely in the molten state. These mobile ions are able to carry an electric charge, allowing the molten ionic compound to conduct electricity. In the solid state, the ions are locked in place and cannot move to carry a charge, which is why ionic compounds do not conduct electricity in their solid form.

Answer 2

When an ionic compound is melted, the ions become free to move and can carry electric charge through the liquid. This allows the compound to conduct electricity because the ions can flow and carry the electrical current.

Answer 3

Ionic compounds conduct electric current when they are molten because the constituent ions that form the compound appear when the solid form changes phase into the liquid one. The solid structure of the compound, which is generally a crystalline one, comes apart when it melts, and in a way similar to what it does when that compound dissolved in a solvent. This frees the ions, and their mobility means that they can contribute to the movement of electric current. It's just that simple.

Answer 4

Conducting of charge is due to movement of electrons,i.e. if electrons which can move are available then the compound will be good conductor. In case of ionic compounds the molecules of the compound get ionized when dissolved in water or in the molten state giving ions. These ions can conduct the electricity ,hence ionic substances conduct charge.

as ions can exist either in solution or in molten state only, that is why conducting of charge is observed in aqueous state or in molten state .

Answer 5

If a voltage is applied across this molten mass, cations migrate freely to one electrode and anions migrate to the other. This ion movement allows electricity to flow between the electrodes through an external wire. Also the ions are free to move about in the aqueous solution.

Answer 6

Conducting electricity requires spatial motion of at least one kind of charged particle. In most solid ionic compounds, the barriers to motion are too high to be overcome by any but very high electrical fields, and such high fields usually change the chemical nature of the compound. Some ionic compounds can contain impurities that generate more readily moved charges; these are the ionic semiconductors.

In a liquid state, the ions of the ionic compound can move readily because of the much lower energy barriers to motion characteristic of a liquid.

Answer 7

As ionic compounds consist of ions, more precisely cations and anions, and when melted or dissolved in water the bond between ions breaks. Now the ions are separated, and thus have an electric charge (cations have a positive charge and anions a negative one). And as it is, in order for something to conduct electricity, that something must have a way to transfer electic current, which is charged particles (in this context: ions).

And in a nutshell, that's why ionic compounds conduct electricity when melted or in water.

Hope this helps :)

(As to why ionic compounds don't conduct electricity when they're not either melted or in water: ionic compounds bound together produce a compound, which has no charge as a whole therefore, no ways to transfer charges :))

Answer 8

When the ionic compound melts, it ionises. These ions help them to conduct electricity.

Answer 9

becausee it can

Answer 10

Yes they do!! But just in MODERN state!