Electrical Conductivity: Caffeine Molecule Dissociates

Electrical conductivity
One to five percent of the caffeine molecule dissociates in water, proving that the compound is a weak electrolyte. A substance that completely dissociates in a solution, such as water, is considered an electrolyte and can therefore conduct electricity. This dissociation is caused by the atoms’ minimal nuclear charge, allowing the substance to break apart entirely into its ions. Ions are mobile, which induces a current and contributes to the substance’s high electrical conductivity. Caffeine is composed of atoms that have relatively small atomic radii because of their large quantity of positive charge in the nucleus that is able to attract electrons with stronger force. Caffeine atoms will not lose electrons as readily as metals that experience less attractive forces;
The size and compactness of atoms determines the density of particular substances. Smaller atomic radii caused by high effective nuclear charge or fewer shells that don’t shield as much positive charge allow atoms to closely pack together. The compactness of the atoms creates a dense structural arrangement, resulting in an increased density for the compound. Density also depends on the strength of intermolecular forces. Stronger intermolecular forces allow molecules to attract each other with more force, which will decrease the distance between molecules. Caffeine’s ability to experience dipole-dipole and london dispersion forces minimizes the intermolecular distances between the caffeine molecules and allows the molecules to experience strong attractions towards each other. Caffeine generally has a higher density than smaller molecules because the greater number of electrons in caffeine will allow for stronger dispersion forces. The intermolecular distances of compounds that have the ability to form hydrogen bonds will be smaller than caffeine’s intermolecular distances; therefore, these compounds will have greater densities than