can you get electrocuted through water?

Question

in chemistry class, it says covalent bond does not conduct electricity. since water is covalent bond, it shouldn't conduct electricity, right? then how come people get electrocuted through water in the cartoon and movie? will i get electrocuted in the pool of pure water?

Answer 1

sure can would advise experimenting to see :-)

Answer 2

Water does not conduct electricity, the minerals in water conduct electricity. Covalent bonds do NOT in any way conduct electricity, electricity moves by matter releasing spare electrons to the atom beside it, which creates a domino effect in conductive materials, covalent bonds cannot take any more electrons, so therefore they cant accept and ultimately pass on more electrons. And the stuff you see in movies about people committing suicide by dropping a toaster in the bathtub, doesn't happen unless the toaster happens to have a short. The reason being is electricity always travels the path of least resistance, the copper wiring in the toaster provides much less than resistance than the water. Also, another little fun fact, pure water will not boil, if you microwave perfectly distilled water long enough to get it past the boiling point, then put a fork in it or introduce some other form of mineral it will all start to boil at once and blow up in your face.

Answer 3

Pure water does not conduct. However, most water contains impurities such as salts that cause it to conduct. Incidentally pure forms of water are used as coolants in some electrical applications because it does not conduct.

To consider whether you would be electrocuted in a pool of water containing an electrical source, you would have to see if an electric current would pass through your body. This current would only need to be small >50mA to kill so it is likely being close to the electrical source would electrocute you but further back would become safe.

Answer 4

There is no such thing as pure water in nature. All water has dissolved ionic compounds in it (like salt, that breaks down into Na+ and Cl- in water) due to the fact that H2O is a polar molecule. By polar, I means that the two hydrogen atoms are on more or less the same side of the larger oxygen atom, creating a positive end and a negative end that tends to attract and pull apart ionic bonded chemicals like salt.

Since all water has some dissolved salt, then it conducts electricity through the free movement of ions in the water.

Answer 5

Absolute pure water does not conduct electricity. But just a small amount of salt and it is a good conductor. It will kill as there are thousands electrocuted every year.

Answer 6

Pure water doesn't conduct electricity very well, but it does conduct better than air, so we think of water as a conductor. Also, outside of a laboratory, you hardly ever encounter pure water. Tap water has impurities in it, including ions, which greatly increase its conductivity. Salt water, of course, is a way better conductor than fresh water because salt is ionic.

The simple answer: Yes, you can be electrucuted through tap water.

Answer 7

If there are absolutely no impurities of any kind in the water, such as deionized water, electricity cannot pass through it. You would not be electrocuted in this case. The greater the quantity and composition of the impurities, the more the water will become a conductor.

Answer 8

Everything conducts electricity. Somethings just not so good, and they are known as insulators. Conductors do it very well. Salt water conducts electricity easier than regular water. Regular water conducts electricity, it is not an insulator.