Electrical Conductance

Electrolyte

A chemical compound that ionizes when dissolved in water
or molten that can conduct electricity.

"Substances like acid, base and salts which can conduct
electricity in their aqueous solution due to ionization are
known as electrolytes."

The presence of ions in solution is responsible for the
conduction and when the current passes through the
wires, it shows the movement of free electrons through
wire
Electrolysis Cell
Arrhenius Theory of Electrical
Conductivity
The first modern theory to explain electrical
conductivity in solutions was advanced by Svante
Arrhenius, at the time a doctoral student in physics at
the University of Uppsala, Sweden.

He deduced that, the presence of charged particles in
an electrically conductive solution, and he postulated
that the extent of the conductivity depended on the
number of ions present.

Hence the solute in a strong electrolyte would
produce many ions and conduct electricity well,
while the solute in a weak electrolyte would
produce relatively few ions and not conduct
electricity very well.


In a non electrolyte, the solute would produce no
ions, hence no electrical conductivity for these
solutions.

Types of Electrolytes

1. Strong Electrolytes:
Solutions whose electrical conductivity is high. They
are good conductors of electricity.

2. Weak Electrolytes:
Solutions that conduct electricity, but not very well.
They are still called conductors, but only poor
conductors.

3. Non Electrolytes:
Non electrolytes do not conduct electricity.


Strong
electrolyte
Weak electrolyte Non electrolyte
Strong Electrolyte
Electrical conductivity of
aqueous solutions. The circuit
will be completed and will
allow current to flow only when
there are charge carriers (ions)
in the solution.

Example :
Hydrochloric acid solution,
which is a strong electrolyte,
contains ions that readily
conduct the current and give a
brightly bulb.
Strong electrolytes are 100% dissociated
(completely ionized )in their aqueous solution.

Strong electrolytes like salts are composed of
oppositely charged ions.

In solid state, these ions are held by strong
electrostatic forces of attractions.

Classes of strong electrolytes :
(i) Soluble salts
(ii) Strong acids
(iii) Strong bases
(I) Soluble salt
When solid NaCl dissolves, the Na
+
and Cl
-
ions
are randomly dispersed in water.
Any salt that readily dissolves in water produces a
strong electrolyte when it is dissolved.
According to Arrhenius, an
acid is a substance that
ionizes in aqueous solution
to generate H
+
ions .

If the ionization is
complete or nearly
complete, the acid solution
is a good conductor of
electricity, and the acid is
regarded as a strong acid.
(II) Strong acids
Example :
HCl completely ionized in
water
According to Arrhenius, a
base is a substance that
ionizes in aqueous
solution to produce
hydroxide ions (OH
-
).

Bases that ionize
completely are regarded
as strong bases. The two
most common strong
bases are sodium
hydroxide (NaOH) and
potassium hydroxide
(KOH).
(III) Strong bases
Example :
NaOH completely ionized in
water
List of Strong Electrolytes
Potassium
chloride
Sodium
hydroxide
Sodium nitrate
Sulfuric acid
Nitric acid
Potassium
hydroxide

Weak Electrolyte
Electrolytes which are weakly
ionized in their aqueous
solution are called as weak
electrolytes.

Example :
Acetic acid solution, which is a
weak electrolyte, contains only
few ions and does not conduct
as much current as a strong
electrolyte.

The bulb is only dimly lit
Some substances will form ions in aqueous
solution, but the extent of ionization is slight.

In the aqueous solution of weak electrolytes, the
constituent ions are in equilibrium with un-
dissociated molecules of electrolytes.

The result is a solution that is electrically
conductive, but much less so than a comparative
solution containing a strong electrolyte.

The most common weak electrolytes
are:

Weak acids
Weak bases

Weak acids
A weak acid is an acid that is
only partially ionized in
aqueous solution.

An aqueous solution of acetic
acid (HC
2
H
3
O
2
) contains
some hydrogen ions (H
+
(aq))
and some acetate ions
(C
2
H
3
O
2
-
(aq)), but most of
the solute particles are
undissociated acetic acid
molecules (HC
2
H
3
O
2
(aq)).
Example :
The reaction of HC
2
H
3
O
2
in
water
Ammonia (NH3) is the most
common of the weak bases.

It is a base because its aqueous
solutions contains (OH-) ions

It is a weak electrolyte because
only a small fraction of ammonia
molecules form ions. Most of the
ammonia remains as neutral
ammonia molecules.
Example :
The reaction of NH3 in water
Weak bases
NH
3
(aq) + H
2
O (l)
>
<
NH
4
+
(aq) + OH
-
(aq)
List of Weak Electrolytes
Hydrocyanic acid
Acetic acid
Ammonia
Ammonium
hydroxide
Hydrofluoric
acid
Oxalic acid
Pyridine

Non Electrolyte









Substances which cannot conduct
electricity in their aqueous
solution due to the absence of ions.

They are generally polar or non-
polar covalent compounds which
can dissolve in water as
molecules instead of ions.

Example :
A sucrose solution, which is a non
electrolyte, contains no ions and
does not conduct current
The bulb remains unlit.
List of Non Electrolytes
Sucrose
Glucose
Ethanol
Methanol
Carbon
tetrachloride
Kerosene
Gylcerol
Oxygen










DebyeHckel Theory


The DebyeHckel Theory were derived by Peter
Debye (Dutch physical chemist) and Erich Hckel
(German physicist), who developed a theory with
which to calculate activity coefficients of electrolyte
solutions.



The activity is proportional to the concentration by a
factor known as the activity coefficient , and takes into
account the interaction energy of ions in the solution
1. The decreased in the molar conductivity of a
strong electrolyte was attributed to the mutual
interference of the ions, which becomes more
pronounced as the concentration increased.
2. Distribution of ions in solution. The distribution of the
negative ions and positive ions is not symmetric.

If an electric potential is applied, the positive ions
will move towards the negative electrode and drag
along the negative ions.

The more concentrated the solution, the closer these
negative ions under consideration, and the greater is
the drag.

The ionic atmosphere around the moving ion is
therefore not symmetry, the charged density behind is
greater than that in front and will result in a
retardation