How do acids conduct electricity with H+ ions?
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Acids by themselves don't necessarily conduct electricity. An example is boron tribromide, a Lewis acid. What makes acid (aqueous) solutions good conductors, is the capability of the acid of interacting with water molecules, by creating positive and negative charged ions.
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Author by
MartianCactus
Updated on November 22, 2022Comments
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MartianCactus 12 months
I know that ions can conduct electricity, but H+ ions has no electrons! How can it conduct electricity then. Like if we were talking about Cl- or Na+ then these ions do have electrons.
But how can something that has no electrons be used to conduct electricity?
Also, do acids conduct electricity only in water and not on their own?
And, do acids also stop conducting electricity after all the ions have been deionized? (like NaCl aqueous solution)
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Ivan Neretin over 7 yearsElectrons are very much not a magic substance that is involved whenever someone talks about electricity. It is electric charge that matters, and $\ce{H+}$ surely does have one.
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MartianCactus over 7 yearsso how can a positive charge conduct electricity?
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Ivan Neretin over 7 yearsJust like a negative charge does: by moving around.
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MartianCactus over 7 yearsso we can do the same thing with a proton too? If yes, then what about bases? They have a OH- ions. How can it conduct electricity?
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Ivan Neretin over 7 yearsWhat same thing? All ions have electric charge. Therefore they conduct electricity whenever they move. That's the reason for conductivity of electrolytes.
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MartianCactus over 7 yearsso we use molecules as electrons? Do we only need something to move?
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MartianCactus over 7 yearswe use molecules instead of electrons to produce electricity and we make them move due to their charge. That is what I got
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Ivan Neretin over 7 yearsAgain, electricity does not mean that electrons are involved.
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MartianCactus over 7 yearsok thx for your answer
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MartianCactus over 7 yearshow does that help in conducting electricity?
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The_Vinz over 7 yearsBecause the transmission of electricity involves the movement of charged particles (be them ions, such as in ionic solutions, or electrons, such as in metals).
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MartianCactus over 7 yearsok, thx for your answer