Strong electrolyte

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A strong electrolyte is a solute that completely, or almost completely, ionizes or dissociates in solution. These ions are good conductors of electric current in the solution.

Originally, a "strong electrolyte" was defined as a chemical that, when in aqueous solution, is a good conductor of electricity. With greater understanding of the properties of ions in solution its definition was gradually changed to the present one.

A concentrated solution of this strong electrolyte has a lower vapour pressure than that of pure water at the same temperature. Strong acids, strong bases, and soluble ionic salts that are not weak acids or weak bases are strong electrolytes.

[edit] Writing reactions

For strong electrolytes, a single reaction arrow shows that the reaction occurs completely in one direction, in contrast to the dissociation of weak electrolytes, which both ionize and re-bond in significant quantities ^[1].

Strong electrolyte(aq) → Cation⁺(aq) + Anion^-(aq)

Strong electrolytes conduct electricity ONLY when molten or in aqueous solutions. Strong electrolytes break apart into ions completely.