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What are substances that can carry electric current under some conditions but not under others?

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What are substances that can carry electric current under some conditions but not under others?

A semiconductor is a substance, usually a solid chemical element or compound, that can conduct electricity under some conditions but not others, making it a good medium for the control of electrical current.

What types of substances conduct electricity and why?

1 Answer

  • Solid ionic compounds don’t conduct electricity.
  • Solutions of ionic compounds and molten ionic compounds can conduct electricity because the ions are free to move around.
  • Metals conduct electricity because the delocalized bonding allows the electrons to move from one place to another.

What substances will conduct electricity?

Electrolytes are salts or molecules that ionize completely in solution. As a result, electrolyte solutions readily conduct electricity.

Do all substances conduct electricity?

Not all substances conduct electricity. Water is a poor conductor of electrical current which is why sulfuric acid was added during the electrolysis experiment. Solutions that conduct electrical current do so because they ionize in solution.

What materials Cannot conduct electricity?

insulators
Materials that do not let current flow easily are called insulators. Most nonmetal materials such as plastic, wood and rubber are insulators.

Can a diamond conduct electricity?

Diamond. Diamond is a form of carbon in which each carbon atom is joined to four other carbon atoms, forming a giant covalent structure. It does not conduct electricity as there are no delocalised electrons in the structure.

Can a substance conduct electricity?

There are two types of substances that are good conductors or electricity. Metals conduct in the solid phase because they contain electrons that are mobile, or free to move around. Ionic substances, also known as salts, conduct electricity when dissolved in water or when in the liquid state (molten).

What are 4 good conductors?

Conductors:

  • silver.
  • copper.
  • gold.
  • aluminum.
  • iron.
  • steel.
  • brass.
  • bronze.

Is bleach a good conductor of electricity?

Diluted bleach is an electrically conductive liquid and it is corrosive.

Is Salt a conductor?

For example, solid sodium chloride (NaCl, or table salt) does not conduct electricity; it is an insulator. There will be virtually no current flowing as water is a very poor conductor of electricity. Add a substance that will dissociate into ions (an “electrolyte”), such as table salt, and current will flow.