Electrolyte

An electrolyte is a substance that conducts electricity through mobile ions. In solution or molten form, it contains charged particles that can move and carry current.

Electrolytic dissociation: The separation of an ionic compound into mobile ions when it dissolves in a solvent. Dissociation creates the mobile charged particles that let many electrolytes conduct.
Ion: An atom or molecule with a net electric charge because it has gained or lost electrons. Electrolyte conduction depends on ions as its mobile charge carriers.
Lithium-ion battery: A rechargeable battery in which lithium ions move between electrodes during charging and discharging. Its electrolyte carries lithium ions between electrodes while limiting direct electronic contact.
Electronic conductor: A material that conducts electric current primarily through mobile electrons or holes. It carries charge mainly through electronic particles rather than mobile ions.
Ionization: The formation of ions from neutral atoms or molecules by gaining or losing electrons or through chemical reactions. Molecular electrolytes can produce ions by reacting with the solvent rather than separating pre-existing ions.
Solvation: The interaction of solvent molecules with dissolved particles, stabilizing them in solution. Solvation helps separate and stabilize ions in liquid electrolytes.
Electrolysis: The use of electric current to drive a nonspontaneous chemical reaction. Electrolytes provide the ionic path required for current-driven chemical production.
Insulator: A material that strongly resists the movement of electric charge. Unlike an electrolyte, it has too few mobile charge carriers to conduct readily.
Ionic conductivity: The transport of electric charge through the movement of ions in a material. It measures the charge-carrying process that defines electrolyte conduction.
Solvent: A substance that dissolves another substance to form a solution. The solvent shapes ion formation, mobility, and conductivity in an electrolyte solution.

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