http://www.ck12.org Chapter 15. Water
would happen if we tested this solution for conductivity? It turns out that the solution of sugar has a conductivity
similar to that of pure water. Why is this different than when we dissolved salt? The difference is that sugar is
a molecular substance, not an ionic substance. In general, molecular substances do not dissociate when dissolved
in water, so no ions are formed that can be used to conduct electricity. (There are some exceptions to this rule.
In particular, strong acids, such as HCl, are often molecular substances that dissociate into ions when dissolved in
water.) The difference between the dissolution of sodium chloride and sucrose in water is illustrated in theFigure
15.12.
FIGURE 15.12
Difference between salt and sucrose dissolving in water.Again, notice that all of the sucrose molecules remain completely intact. No covalent bonds are broken during the