Question

Question #1e730

Answer 1

Current is defined as 'the flow of electricity which results from the ordered directional movement of electrically charged particles.'

An ionic substance doesn't have free electrons that it can move around (like a metal does), so the charged particles which must be moved to form a current are the ions themselves.

In a solid, the ions are locked up in a lattice structure, but in the liquid/solution state they are free to move from one end of their container to the other.

Therefore, you can connect a battery to some salt water and the `Na^+` ions will move to the negative electrode and the `Cl^-` ions will move to the positive electrode. This completes the circuit and the movement of ions is what we measure as current.