[orgopete]

This may be simple, but if anyone can give a reference or a good description, (especially with data) as to how electrons are carried in a salt water solution?

I have found that different solutions are more or less effective in the current being carried. HCl is quite good while ammonium hydroxide is weak.

I think I understand how a metal can conduct electricity in that electrons are only held loosely by a metal, therefore, pushing electrons onto the metal will result in pushing them off at the cathode (or the other way around). Does the electrons reduce sodium to metallic sodium upon addition of an electron and that electron becomes transferred? Does any (oxidation-reduction) chemistry occur in solution at the microscopic level?

If ions supposedly move, how does that aid current movement?

[Borek]

Current in the solution is carried by ions, you need redox reaction for the charge to cross the phase boundary at electrodes.

HCl is a strong electrolyte, so its solution conductivity is much higher than that of ammonia solution.

[orgopete]

If you have redox, won't you only end up with electrolysis? I have seen the description of current being carried by ions, as ion movement. I get the redox problem and I just thought I wasn't understanding it.

The following would allow for current to flow without electrolysis. (I don't know what you call this hydrogen bond switching, but I think it has a name.) However, this doesn’t involve an electrolyte, nor does it require ions to move. It also has an electron-electron problem.

     anode--|-e H-O-e H-O-e H-O-e |--cathode

     anode--|-H e-O-H e-O-H e-O-|--cathode

I could sort of do it with NaCl by switching the signs of the cathode and anode. (This only makes any sense by reading from the cathode side.) A second electron would restore the initial scheme.

     anode--|-e Na⁺ e-O-H e-O-H e-O-H Cl^- |--cathode

     anode--|-Na-O e H-O e H-O e H-Cl-|--cathode

I haven't seen this suggested by anyone. Probably because it doesn't involve an electrolyte.

[Borek]

If you have redox, won't you only end up with electrolysis?

You do.

Unless you are using AC, then it is not that important, as long as the reaction involved is reasonably reversible.

[orgopete]

I'm still not getting it. If you have electrolysis, then I don't see any current flowing. If I have a spark from static electricity, I thought I was feeling the spark itself. I didn't think I was feeling hydrogen being generated.