Why does a salt not conduct electricity in its solid state?

In order to conduct electricity, charged particles must be available and these charged particles must have the possibily to move around freely. Salts consist of ions: charged particles. In the solid state however, the ions are trapped in a lattice by electrostatic forces. This means that the charged particles cannot move around freely and therefore salts do not conduct electrivity in their solid state. 

TD
Answered by Thomas D. Chemistry tutor

33562 Views

See similar Chemistry A Level tutors

Related Chemistry A Level answers

All answers ▸

What is Gibbs Free Energy?


A chemist synthesised two solutions A and B, they know one solution is an aldehyde and the other a ketone. Suggest how the chemist could identify which is which and describe any observations they would make


Propane and Chlorine react in the presence of UV light to give 2-chloropropane and HCl. Estimate the enthalpy change of this reaction using the following bond enthaplies (KJ/mol) : C-H=+413, Cl-Cl=+243, C-Cl=+346 and H-Cl=+432.


Which Medical Schools Should I apply to?


We're here to help

contact us iconContact ustelephone icon+44 (0) 203 773 6020
Facebook logoInstagram logoLinkedIn logo

MyTutor is part of the IXL family of brands:

© 2026 by IXL Learning