Question

Plastics are generally good conductors of electricity.
(A) True
(B) False

Answer 1

Hint: In the above question, we have been asked if plastic is a good conductor of electricity. Plastic are organic compounds and for the conduction of electricity, ionic characteristics are required.

Complete answer:
Let us first have a look at the structure of plastic.
Most plastics contain organic polymers. They are formed by carbon atoms or carbon atoms with addition of oxygen, nitrogen and sulphur. The chains comprise many repeated units which are formed from monomers. Each polymer chain will have several thousand repeating units. The backbone is the part of the chain that is on the main part which links together a large number of repeated units.
From the above discussion, we can say that plastics are high molecular weight organic substances that have usually been synthesised from low molecular compounds. Being organic in nature, plastic has no ionic character and hence, conduction of electricity is not possible. So, we can state that they are insulators.
So, the statement given, i.e., plastics are generally good conductors of electricity is false.
So, the correct option is option B.

Note:
Due to COVID-19 and ban of plastics in countries like China, the European Union, Canada, and many countries in Africa, USA, the use of plastics have reduced.
We can answer the above question on the basis of metals and non-metals. Usually metal conduct electricity due to their tendency to lose electrons whereas non-metals like plastics, rubber do not conduct electricity