Question

Ionic compounds are generally crystalline solids. They have high melting and boiling points due to strong electrostatic forces of attraction between ions. They are soluble in water but insoluble in organic solvents. In solid state, they do not conduct electricity, but in molten or aqueous state, they do.

Assertion (A): Ionic compounds conduct electricity in the molten state and in aqueous solution but not in the solid state. Reason (R): In the solid state, ions are held in fixed positions in the crystal lattice and are not free to move, so they cannot carry electric current.