is ccl4 an electrolyte?

Question

how do you find out if something is covalent or has ionic compounds

Answer 1

In general, ionic compounds have positive and negative components. Positively charged atoms are found in the left two columns and in the middle (nearly all transition metals form positive ions in solution), while negative ions are on the right side (F, Cl, Br, I, O, and sometimes N). You should consult your text to learn about complex ions, which are made of multiple atoms (SO4, etc.), though many of these are negatively charged (except ammonium, NH4, which is positively charged).

Carbon compounds are generally not ionic unless they contain acid groups or nitrogen, or other specific functional groups that you will learn more about later.

Answer 2

To be an electrolyte, the substance has to not only dissolve in water, but to disassociate to form ions, species generated from the loss and gain of electrons.

Carbon Tetrachloride (CCl4) is a tetrahedral molecule with a carbon surrounded with 4 chlorines. Because the dipole moments of each of the 4 bonds cancels, it is nonpolar. It doesn't dissolve in water, so it can't be in a position to disassociate. Even then, CCl4 can't disassociate without overcoming a significant energy barrier, because you'd be forming a methyl carbocation (with 3 electron-withdrawing chloriens on it, to add insult to injury).

So the answer is no, suffice it to say.

Answer 3

The usual rule of thumb is to look at where the elements involved in the compound are on the periodic table. The farther apart they are, the more likely they are ionic. The closer they are, the more likely to have increasingly covalent bonding. Look at "periodicity", sometimes known as periodic trends. Bonding type is a strong function of electronegativity.

Answer 4

A chemical is an electrolyte if it helps conduct electricity in water.

To do that the chemical has to dissolve in water and typically form ions. CCl4 does not dissolve in water. Nor does it form ions. So it is not an electrolyte.

A good example of an electrolyte is Salt, NaCl, which does dissolve in water and does form ions.

I also teach chemistry in high school.

Answer 5

See your teacher. You have more problems that electrolytes, you're not writing compounds' formulas correctly.
It's CCl4 (4 should be subscript)

Get some tutoring with your teacher