State whether each of the following statements is true or false. Justify your answer in each case. (a) Electrolyte solutions conduct electricity because electrons are moving through the solution. (b) If you add a nonelectrolyte to an aqueous solution that already contains an electrolyte, the electrical conductivity will not change.

To confirm or invalidate this statement, we need to recall the definition of electrolyte solutions and how they conduct electricity.

The given statement is false. Electrolyte solutions conduct electricity because of the movement of ions, not electrons.

An electrolyte solution is formed when a substance, usually a salt, dissociates into its constituent ions, such as cations and anions. These charged particles (ions) are free to move within the solution, enabling the solution to conduct electricity. Electrons themselves do not move through the solution; it's the movement of ions that allows the conduction of electric current.

For this statement, we need to think about what happens when we add a nonelectrolyte to a solution containing an electrolyte and how that would affect the electrical conductivity.

The given statement is generally true. Adding a nonelectrolyte to an aqueous solution that already contains an electrolyte typically does not change the electrical conductivity.

A nonelectrolyte is a substance that, when dissolved in water, does not dissociate into ions, meaning it doesn't produce charged particles. When we add a nonelectrolyte to an already conductive electrolyte solution, it will effectively only dilute the electrolyte and decrease the concentration of ions in the solution. However, it won't change the ions' ability to move freely within the solution and conduct electricity. So, the electrical conductivity generally remains constant in this case. Note that in rare cases where the added nonelectrolyte has a significant impact on the electrolyte's ion dissociation or mobility, the electrical conductivity may experience a slight change. But for typical nonelectrolytes, the change in conductivity is negligible.