Question

Which of the following sentences is/are true?
A.Electrolytic conduction involves transfer of matter.
B.Metallic conduction does not involve transfer of matter.
C.Both of the above
D.None of the above.

Answer 1

We know that to answer this question you must recall the Lewis theory of acids and bases. The species that can accept an electron pair are termed as Lewis acids while those species which can donate a pair of electrons are known as a Lewis base. If a reaction involves the donation and acceptance of electrons then it must be a Lewis acid base reaction.

Complete answer: At first think about the current in any metallic conductor the current is due to the flow of the charged particles. Current can flow due to ions or any other charge particle which are freely available for the movement through the conductor. The direction of an electric current is by convention the direction in which a positive charge would move. Thus, the current in the external circuit is directed away from the positive terminal of the battery and goes toward the negative terminal of the battery while the
Electrons are negatively charged particles so the direction of the flow of the electrons in the conductor will be opposite to the direction of the flow of the current. So, the electrons will flow from the negative terminal to the positive terminal of the voltage source, the current in the conductor flows due to the movement of the charge. In metals protons are bounded and hence the free available charge particle remains as an electron. So, there is one electron as a charge particle which can contribute to the flow of the current through the metallic conductors. Metallic conduction involves drifting of electrons through vacancies of conduction band in random fashion, brought about under the effect of electric field.
In electrolytic conduction, a voltage is applied across the electrodes dipped into the electrolytic solution. There are ions present in electrolytic solution. Because of the voltage applied, electric current will flow in the solution. The ions will move in the solution. The cations will move towards the cathode, whereas the anions will move towards the anode. Thus in electrolytic conduction mass is transferred in the form of ions. Whereas, no such transfer of mass occurs in metallic conduction. It is just the flow of electrons.
Therefore, the correct answer is option C.

Note:
Remember that in fuel cells which convert chemical energy to electrical energy, protons are conducted through electrolytes while ions and electrons are conducted through electronic (metallic) conductors. Electrolytic conduction is the movement of free ions in electrolyte which is either the substance in molten state or their aqueous solution.