Acetone, CH₃COCH₃, is a nonelectrolyte; hypochlorous acid, HClO, is a weak electrolyte; and ammonium chloride, NH₄Cl, is a strong electrolyte. (b) If 0.1 mol of each compound is dissolved in solution, which one contains 0.2 mol of solute particles, which contains 0.1 mol of solute particles, and which contains somewhere between 0.1 and 0.2 mol of solute particles?

Key Concepts

Electrolytes and Nonelectrolytes

Electrolytes are substances that dissociate into ions when dissolved in water, allowing the solution to conduct electricity. Strong electrolytes, like ammonium chloride, completely dissociate into ions, while weak electrolytes, like hypochlorous acid, only partially dissociate. Nonelectrolytes, such as acetone, do not dissociate into ions and therefore do not conduct electricity.

Molarity and Solute Particles

Molarity is a measure of concentration defined as the number of moles of solute per liter of solution. When a solute dissolves, it can produce different numbers of solute particles depending on its nature. For example, a strong electrolyte produces more particles than a nonelectrolyte or a weak electrolyte, which is crucial for determining the total number of solute particles in a solution.

Dissociation of Compounds

The dissociation of compounds in solution refers to the process by which ionic compounds separate into their constituent ions. For instance, 0.1 mol of ammonium chloride dissociates into 0.1 mol of NH4+ and 0.1 mol of Cl-, resulting in 0.2 mol of solute particles. In contrast, acetone remains as whole molecules, contributing only 0.1 mol of solute particles, while hypochlorous acid contributes somewhere between these two values due to its partial dissociation.