INTRODUCTION

One method of analysis based on measuring electrolytic conductance is called conductimetry. Electrolyte
solutions generally contain ions, atoms, or molecules that have lost or gained electrons, and are electrically
conductive (“Electrolyte Solutions”, 2016). The ability of electrolyte solutions to conduct electricity stems from the
migration of the ions due to the influence of electric field.
Electrolytes can be classified as either strong or weak with strong electrolytes being able to dissociate
completely in water and weak electrolytes being able to dissolve partially. They are capable of conducting electricity
because dissolved ionizable molecule in water is accompanied by its ability to move freely allowing charge to flow in
the solution (“Electrolyte and Nonelectrolyte Solutions”, 2016). In this experiment, conductance of HCl, NH 4Cl, NaCl,
NaC2H3O2, NaOH, KOH, and NH4OH solutions were measured using a conductivity meter. Conductance is a property
of electrolyte solutions which indicates how well an electrolyte can conduct electricity. It is dependent on the nature of
electrolyte and the concentration of solution. The nature of ions determines the number of ions to be dissociated in
the solution and is directly proportional to the number of ions present in the solution (“Electrolytic Conductance”,
2015). Electrolytes with small degree of separation (weak electrolytes) will dissociate partially in the solution and will
produce less number of ions hence, exhibiting low conductance. Electrolytes with strong degree of separation, on the
other hand, produce high conductance because of their ability to furnish great number of ions in the solution.
Concentration of ions is closely related to the availability of ions; high concentration of ions evokes high conductance
in the solution due to the increased number of charge carriers. The relationship between molar conductance, specific
conductance, and concentration is established in the equation below:
κ
Λm = Eq. (1)
c
Where Λm is the molar conductivity or molar conductance, κ is the conductivity or specific conductance, and
c is the concentration. From this equation, it can be said that while the specific conductance of a solution increases
with concentration, the equivalent conductance decreases as the concentration increases.
Another factor in conductivity measurements is that not all ions carry charge (conduct electricity) equally. H+
and OH– are unique and move through solution very rapidly and are very good charge carriers (“Electrical
Conductivity of Aqueous Solutions”, 2009). Ions such as NH4+ and Cl– move through solution at a slower rate and
therefore do not conduct electricity as well. Uncharged species in solution do not carry any charge. Table 1 shows
the molar conductivity of selected ions.
Table 1. Molar Conductivity of Selected Ions

Ions Molar Conductivity (S∙L/mol cm)

Cations H+ 0.34982

Na+ 0.05011
 NH4+ 0.0735

K+ 0.00735

OH- 0.1986

Cl- 0.07635
Anions
CH3COO- 0.0409

Br- 0.0781

Conductance is also affected by mobility of the ions present in the solution. The relationship between molar
conductivity and ionic mobility is given by the law of independent migration shown below:
Λ𝑚 = 𝑣+𝜆+ + 𝑣−𝜆− Eq. (2)
where v refers to the corresponding number of ions and λ indicates the limiting molar conductivities for
either positive or negative ions. Mobility of ions is inversely proportional to the size of their hydrated ions; hence,
smaller ions tend to exhibit both high mobility and high conductivity. Cl- ion has an ionic radius of 175 pm which
accounts for the high conductance of HCl in part A.
For weak electrolytes, the variation of conductance, Λ, is explained by the number of ions in the solution.
The number of ions furnished by an electrolyte in solution depends on the degree of dissociation with dilution. This
implies the idea that with the increase in dilution, the degree of dissociation increases and thus increasing molar
conductance as well (“Conductance of Solutions”, 2010). The limiting value of molar conductance, Λm, corresponds
to degree of dissociation equal to 1. The degree of dissociation expressed in conductance is given as:
Λm
α= Eq. (3)
Λ˚
Where α is the degree of dissociation, Λm is the molar conductance at concentration c and Λ˚ is the
molar conductance at infinite dilution. In this experiment, the dissociation constant of NH 4OH with two varying
concentrations will be calculated. According to the theory of Arrhenius, weak electrolytes will only be totally
dissociated at the limit of zero concentration (“Weak and Strong Electrolytes”, 2017). Dissociation constant is the
ratio of dissociated to undissociated compound.
The objectives of the experiment include the determination of relative mobility of some monovalent ions by
measuring the conductance of electrolyte solutions and the determination of dissociation constant of weak
electrolyte. In measuring the conductance of electrolyte solutions, students were able to familiarize themselves with
the conductivity meter used in the experiment. Concepts and theories involved in molar conductivity of substances
were applied in this experiment.
CONCLUSION AND RECOMMENDATIONS
Conductivity meter was used in determining the conductance of electrolyte solutions that further
lead to the determination of relative mobility of monovalent ions along with the dissociation constant of
weak electrolytes. Electrolytes are classed by how many ions they release into the solution. Some
substances are 100% dissociated in solution; they are strong electrolytes. Other substances release only a
few ions into solution with the bulk of the substance remaining associated; these are weak electrolytes
Upon completing the first and second parts of the experiment, the significance of nature and
concentration of ions on the conductance of the solution were verified. HCl, NH 4Cl, and NaOH separate into
cations and anions completely when they are dissolved in water. Because of this, the solutions have high
concentration of ions that carry the current hence allowing them to exhibit high conductivity. In a solution of
NH3, however, the only ions present are those formed from the dissociation of the base into OH - and NH4+
ions and since NH3 is considered as a weak base, only dissociation of small amount occurs making the
concentration of ions in aqueous solution lower and thus manifesting low conductivity. The decreasing
concentration of KOH accompanied by decreasing conductance verified the linear relationship between the
concentration of ions in a solution and its ability to conduct electricity.
One recommendation on the experiment involves the method of handling the electrode. When
using the electrode, the level of aqueous solution should be in, but not over, the circular white zone, which
allows the solution to be accurately measured. The solution must cover the hole in the electrode body so
that the sample can reach the electrode while keeping the electronics dry. The unit of conductance
displayed by the conductivity meter should be taken down since it varies from millisiemens to
microsiemens.

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