Not all compounds can conduct electricity when dissolved in water; those that cannot are known as nonelectrolytes. The most common types of compounds that do not act as electrolytes are covalent compounds that do not dissociate into ions. These include substances like sugar (sucrose), ethanol, and most organic compounds.
Unlike ionic compounds, which break apart into charged ions in solution and allow for electrical conductivity, nonelectrolytes remain intact as molecules. For instance, when sugar is dissolved in water, it dissolves without breaking into ions, meaning it won’t conduct electricity. This behavior is crucial in various chemical processes and has significant implications in fields such as biochemistry and physical chemistry.