Does calcium chloride conduct electricity?
Calcium chloride is a solid that contains two atoms of chlorine and one atom of calcium. Its chemical formula is CaCl2. This compound is commonly referred to as a salt and it is used in various industries.
It Has More Ions than Sodium Chloride (NaCl)
The cation and anion ions in calcium chloride are bonded together with two ionic bonds. The cation has a positive charge and the anion has a negative charge. This makes the molecule electrically neutral.
It Has a High Conductivity When Molten
Sodium chloride is a good conductor of electricity when it is in a molten state. Because its ions are mobile, they can flow and transfer energy.
How does this happen?
When a salt dissolves, its dissociated ions (of the respective constituent elements in the salt – Calcium and chlorine ions for our case) are free to move in solution. This causes them to transfer charge or electricity and conduct it to the surrounding water.
The ion activity in calcium chloride is very different than that of sodium chloride when measured using the individual ion conductivity method. NaCl can only transfer a single ion while calcium chloride can transfer three. This difference in ion activity leads to a higher conductivity of calcium chloride when measured using the individual ion conducting method.
