Does the compound HNO2 behave as a strong electrolyte, weak electrolyte, or non-electrolyte when dissolved in water?

HNO₂, known as nitrous acid, behaves as a weak electrolyte when dissolved in water.

This is because HNO₂ partially ionizes in aqueous solution. When HNO₂ is added to water, it dissociates into hydrogen ions (H⁺) and nitrite ions (NO₂^–), but only to a limited extent. The reaction can be represented as:

HNO₂ (aq) ⇌ H⁺ (aq) + NO₂^– (aq)

In this equilibrium, not all of the HNO₂ molecules dissociate. Due to this partial dissociation, HNO₂ lacks the capacity to conduct electricity as well as a strong electrolyte would, which fully dissociates into ions. Therefore, we classify HNO₂ as a weak electrolyte.