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a) Sodium chloride is an ionic solid - Edexcel - GCSE Chemistry - Question 4 - 2017 - Paper 1
Question 4
a) Sodium chloride is an ionic solid. It contains sodium ions, Na+, and chloride ions, Cl−. In solid sodium chloride, the ions are arranged as shown in the diagram. ... show full transcript
Worked Solution & Example Answer:a) Sodium chloride is an ionic solid - Edexcel - GCSE Chemistry - Question 4 - 2017 - Paper 1
Step 1
Solid sodium chloride does not conduct electricity.
Answer
Solid sodium chloride does not conduct electricity because the ions are in fixed positions within the crystal lattice structure. This means that they cannot move freely, and therefore there is no charge movement to conduct electricity.
Step 2
Explain how the sodium ions, Na+, become sodium atoms, Na.
Answer
During electrolysis, when molten sodium chloride is subjected to an electric current, the sodium ions (Na+) migrate to the cathode where they gain electrons. This reduction process can be represented as:
This shows that each sodium ion gains one electron to transform into a neutral sodium atom.