Question

Give reason for the following:

Lead bromide undergoes electrolytic dissociation in the molten state but is a non-electrolyte in the solid state.

Answer 1

Lead bromide dissociates into ions in the molten state, whereas it does not in the solid state. The ions become free when lead bromide is in the molten state, but in the solid state, the ions are not free since they are packed tightly together due to the electrostatic force between them. Therefore, lead bromide undergoes electrolytic dissociation in the molten state.