ACID-BASE EQUILIBRIA | 6.1

Electrolytes

substances that, when dissolved in a solvent (usually water), produce

ions that can conduct electric current.

Non-electrolytes

substances or solutes whose solutions contain molecules and thus do not conduct electricity.

strong electrolytes and weak

electrolytes.

Electrolytes can be classified into two main categories:

Strong electrolytes (e.g., strong acids and bases)

completely dissociate in water,

weak electrolytes (e.g., weak acids and bases)

do not completely dissociate in water.

two arrows

pointing in different directions indicate reversibility of the reaction

and the incompleteness of the dissociation.

Siemens per meter

(S/m) or Siemens per centimeter (S/cm)

Conductivity is a measure of how well solutions allow the flow of

electrical charges or ions through it. It is expressed in units of .

molar condctivity

where Λ

conductivity of the weak acid

c

concentration of the weak

acid in molarity.

fraction dissociation (α)

measure of the degree

to which the acid or base dissociates or ionizes in an aqueous solution.

fraction dissociation (α) formula

Λo

limiting conductivity or the molar conductivity when the solution is

diluted infinitely.

Limiting conductivity

refers to the conductivity of an electrolyte when

it is completely dissociated into ions at an infinitely low concentration or dilution.