CONDUCTIVITY OF ELECTROLYTES

Author:
Dr Joanna Krawczyk

Editors:
Prof. dr hab. Emilian Chibowski
Dr hab. Agnieszka Ewa Wiącek
Task 31

CONDUCTIVITY OF ELECTROLYTES

I. Aim of the task

The aim of the task is:
– examination of the dependence of electrolytic and molar electrolytic conductivity on
the concentration for strong and weak electrolytes.
– determination of the limit value of molar conductivity of the tested strong and weak
electrolytes.
– determination of the degree of dissociation reaction equilibrium constant of weak ac-
ids by the conductivity measurements.

II. Introduction
1. Electrolytic conductivity of electrolytes and its dependence on the concentration.
2. The methods of the determination of the electrolytic conductivity of electrolytes.
3. Molar electrolytic conductivity and its dependence on the concentration, limiting molar
conductivity, the Kohlrausch’s law of the independent movement of ions, determination of
the limit value for the molar conductivity of the tested strong and weak electrolytes.
4. Application of the conductivity measurements of electrolyte solutions for the determina-
tion of physicochemical parameters.

References:

1. R. Chang, Physical chemistry for the chemical and biological sciences, University Sci-
ence Books, Sausalito, 2000, Chapter 5.
2. G.M. Barrow, Physical Chemistry, McGraw-Hill Book, New York, 1966, Chapter 21.
3. I.M.G. Barthel, H. Krienke, W. Kuntz, Physical Chemistry of electrolyte Solutions,
Springer, New York, Chapter 3.
–3– Task 31 – Conductivity of electrolytes

III. Theory

The flow of the electrical current in a material environment takes place

because of the transport of the electric charge whose carriers can be electrons or ions. De-
pending on the current conduction mechanism, the electrical current conductors are divided
into: electronic conductors or metallic (metals, semiconductors, superconductors) and ionic
or electrolytic. Typical ionic conductors are solutions of salts, acids and bases, salts - molten
or in the solid state.
Pure water does not conduct electricity, but any ionic species would contribute to
conductivity of electricity. An ionically conducting solution is called electrolyte solution and
the compound which produces the ions while dissolved, is called electrolyte. A strong elec-
trolyte is a compound that will completely dissociate into ions in water. Correspondingly,
a weak electrolyte dissolves only partially. The conductivity of an electrolyte solution de-
pends on its concentration (the ionic species) and changes differently for strong and weak
electrolytes. In the case of electrolytic conductors, the flow of electric current is connected
with the ions movement. This causes both some chemical changes and those in the concentra-
tion of conducting electrolyte. Electrolytes are usually much worse conductors of electricity
than metals. Their conductivity is less than 100 [S/m], whereas the metallic conductors show
conductivity of the order of 106 - 108 [S/m]. With the increasing temperature the electric resis-
tivity of electrolytes generally decreases.
The size of the conductivity of the electrolyte solutions depends on their concentra-
tion, temperature, chemical nature of the solute (the ability to dissociate into ions), and the
type of solvent (the ability to form solvates with the formed ions and the dielectric permittivi-
ty). The flow of current through an electrolyte solution (electrolytic conductor) is accompa-
nied by chemical changes occurring at the contacting surfaces of the two types of conductors
(and secretion of ions discharge at the electrodes, the electrode reactions or secondary sol-
vent), and changes of the concentration of the electrolyte in the vicinity of electrodes. Chemi-
cal processes running in the analyzed systems depend on the chemical properties of the metal
electrodes, components of the solution and the potential difference between the electrodes.
Let us consider the electrolyte solution placed in a tube with a length l and cross-
sectional area S, connected on the ends with the two electrodes and to which the voltage U is
applied. The ions in solution will move in the generated electric field (the field intensity E is
equal to U/l) with the uniform motion after finding a balance between:
– the interaction force of the electric field (Fe) with the charge of ion ( q = z ⋅ e ):

Fe = z ⋅ e ⋅ E
(1)
where: z - the valence of ion, e - the elementary electric charge of ion,
– friction force of the center (Fs), facing the opposite (Stokes law):

FS = 6π ⋅η ⋅ r ⋅ v
(2)
Physical Chemistry –4–

where: η - the viscosity of the solvent, r - the radius of the ion treated as a sphere,
v - the ion movement speed.
In an equilibrium state F = F , thus:
e s

z ⋅e⋅ E
v= =u⋅E
6π ⋅η ⋅ r (3)
As it results from Eq. (3) the ion movement speed v is proportional to the strength of
the applied electric field. The proportionality factor u [m2/(Vs)], called ion mobility depends
on the type of ion and the solvent. The mobility of the ion can be defined as the speed of its
movement [m/s] in an electric field of 1 [V/m] strength.
As the temperature increases, the ion mobility increases as a result of the reduction of
the solvent viscosity. The intensity of the current flowing through the solution as a result of
the migration of the electrolyte ions of charge dQ per unit time dt is:

dQ
I= (4)
dt
Through a unit volume Sdx of the vessel, having the cross-section area S, in the time dt
there will flow ions whose total charge carried out charge is equal to:
dQ = z ⋅ e ⋅ n ⋅ Sdx = z ⋅ e ⋅ n ⋅ vdt = z ⋅ e ⋅ c ⋅ α ⋅ N a ⋅ S ⋅ vdt (5)
where: n = c ⋅ α ⋅ N a , n - the number of ions per unit volume of the solution,
c - the molar concentration, Na - the Avogadro number, α - the degree of dissociation,
dx = vdt .
Hence, the amount of current flowing through the vessel of these dimensions is equal
to:
S S S
I = Na ⋅ e ⋅ α ⋅ c ⋅ z ⋅ u ⋅ ⋅U = F ⋅ c ⋅ α ⋅ z ⋅ u ⋅ ⋅U = κ ⋅ ⋅U = κ ⋅ S ⋅ E (6)
l l l
where: F - the Faraday constant, κ - the electrical conductivity.
The intensity of the current flowing in the electrolyte solution is proportional to con-
centration, charge as well as ion mobility and depends on the dimensions of the vessel (its
length and cross section area).
Electrical conductivity of the electrolyte solution κ = F ⋅ c ⋅ α ⋅ z ⋅ u is a measure of
the ability of the ions to conduct electricity. It depends on both the concentration of ions and
the speed of their movement in the electric field. It is defined as the reciprocal of the resistivi-
ty of the electrolyte sample of the cross-section S and length l using the relationship:
l
κ= (7)
R⋅S
The SI unit of conductivity is Siemens per meter [S/m], where S = Ω−1 .
Taking into account the presence in the electrolyte solution of both positive and nega-
tive ions we can expand the definition of the conductivity:
–5– Task 31 – Conductivity of electrolytes

κ = F ⋅ (c + ⋅ z + ⋅ u + + c − ⋅ z − ⋅ u − ) = F ⋅ c ⋅ (α + ⋅ z + ⋅ u + + α − ⋅ z − ⋅ u − ) (8)

From the condition of electroneutrality it results that:

α + ⋅ z+ = α − ⋅ z−

κ = F ⋅ c ⋅ α + ⋅ z + (u + + u − ) = F ⋅ c ⋅ α − ⋅ z − ⋅ (u + + u − ) (9)
where: c+ and c− is the cation and anion concentration, c+ = α + ⋅ c , c− = α − ⋅ c .
Note: in the case of negative ions do not reflect their characters.
Determination of the electrolyte conductivity is reduced to the measurement of the re-
sistivity of the sample using the calibrated cells. For a given cell the ratio l/S has a constant
value and is called the cell constant or resistance capacity. It can be determined by measur-
ing the resistance of the reference cell filled with the electrolyte whose conductivity was de-
termined by the direct measurements.
In the case of electrolytes there can not be used the constant current since this will
change the composition of the electrolyte and the electrode surface (the polarization of the
electrodes). When using the flow current the apparent resistance in the circuit should be elim-
inated.
The curves of the dependence between the conductivity of electrolyte and its concen-
tration have a characteristic waveform (Fig.1). In the low concentration range an increase of
the conductivity with the increasing concentration is observed, which is associated with an
increase in the number of ions per a unit volume of the solution. At higher concentrations the
interactions between ions increase, thus reducing their mobility and in the case of a weak
electrolyte its degree of dissociation also decreases. It causes that the conductivity does not
increase, or even it can decrease.

Fig. 1. Dependence of the specific conductivity of HCl, HNO3 and H2SO4

electrolytes on their concentration.
Physical Chemistry –6–

Aside from the specific conductivity, also the molar conductivity is used for analysis
of properties of the electrolytic conductors:
κ
Λ= (10)
c
which is defined as the conductivity of an electrolyte placed between two electrodes separated
by 1 m (cm) from each other with the cross sectional area S containing 1 mol of the electro-
lyte. The SI unit of the molar conductivity is the [Sm2/mol]. Thus, the molar conductivity
characterizes the ability of 1 mol of electrolyte to conduct electrical current. The molar con-
ductivity is proportional to the degree of dissociation and a sum of the ions mobility:
Λ m = F ⋅ α − ⋅ z − (u + + u − ) = F ⋅ α + ⋅ z + (u + + u − ) (11)

Λ m = α − ⋅ z − ⋅ λ − = α + ⋅ z + ⋅ λ+ (12)
where: λ+ = F ⋅ u + and λ− = F ⋅ u − are the molar conductivity of the cation and the anion re-
spectively.

Fig. 2. Dependence of the molar conductivity of strong, intermediate and weak electrolytes
on their concentration.

These parameters depend on the concentration of the solution (Fig. 2) and to some ex-
tent on the nature of another ion (Table 1). The values of molar conductivity of ions are gen-
erally similar, indicating the similarity of their mobility, regardless of their structure and va-
lences. The exceptions are H+ and OH- ions which exhibit much higher conductivity. This
is due to different mechanism of their movement in the solution. The curves of the relation
between molar conductivity and concentration show different run for strong and weak electro-
lytes. At the low concentrations of electrolytes, for both groups of electrolytes, a monotonic
decrease in the molar conductivity with concentration is observed, but it is much faster for
–7– Task 31 – Conductivity of electrolytes

weak electrolytes. For these electrolytes the conductivity value drops to a low value already in
moderately concentrated solutions. It can be explained by decrease of the dissociation degree
with the increasing concentration of the electrolyte. The impact of increase in the concentra-
tion of strong electrolyte solutions on the decrease in its conductivity is much weaker. At high
concentrations of this type of electrolytes, the conductivity level is still high because of the
fact that strong electrolytes in solution are almost completely dissociated. The molar conduc-
tivity at infinitely large dilution is called the limiting molar conductivity Λom . Limiting mo-
lar conductivity of the electrolyte is the sum of the contributions from individual ions:
Λom = lim Λ m (c) (13)
c→0

Λom = v + ⋅ λo+ + v − ⋅ λo− (13a)

where ν+ and ν- are the number of cations or anions formed by the dissociation of one molecule.
This relationship shows that the limit of molar conductivity of a given electrolyte can
be calculated by summing up the limit ionic contributions. This is called the independent
movement of Kohlraush's ions law. Limiting molar conductivity is constant at a constant
temperature and characterizes a given ion dissolved in a solvent. The molar conductivity of
strong electrolytes depends linearly on the square root of their concentration (Fig. 3). This
relationship is known as the Kohlraush's law and can be expressed by the equation:
Λ m = Λom − a c (14)
where a – the empirical constant.
The linear Kohlraush's dependence allows determination of the limiting molar conduc-
tivity for strong electrolytes by the extrapolation method. In the case of the weak electrolytes
the relationship Λ m = f ( c ) is not linear (Fig. 3), thus the value of their limiting molar con-
ductivity can be then calculated from the Kohlraush's law of the independent movement of ions.

Fig. 3. Dependence of the molar conductivity of weak and strong electrolytes

on the square root of their concentration.
Physical Chemistry –8–

Table 1. Electrolyte classification of some common substances

Strong Electrolytes Weak Electrolytes Nonelectrolytes

HCl, HBr, HI CH3COOH H2O

HClO4 HF CH3OH (methyl alcohol)
HNO3 C2H5OH (ethyl alcohol)
H2SO4 C12H22O11 (sucrose)
KBr Most compounds of carbon
NaCl (organic compounds)
NaOH, KOH
Other soluble ionic
compounds

For the solvents other than water (e.g., organic) curves of the dependences between the
conductivity and the concentration have a different course than for aqueous solutions. Meas-
urements of the conductivity of electrolyte solutions are used for different physicochemical
and analytical purposes.

III.1. Determination of the degree and equilibrium constant of the

dissociation process

According to Arrhenius the degree of dissociation of the electrolyte according to the

law of mass action, decreases with the increasing concentration of the solution. He assumed,
that the dependence between the conductivity and the concentration of an electrolyte solution
depends only on the change of the degree of dissociation. He proposed a method for the de-
gree of dissociation determination based on the following relationship between the molar
conductivity in the solution at a given concentration ( Λ m ) and in its infinitely dilute solution (
Λom ), and the degree of dissociation α :
Λm
α= (15)
Λom
This relationship is based on the assumption that the ion mobility is independent of the
concentration. Using the mass action law to the dissociation of the weak acid
HA ↔ H+ + A- Ostwald defined the equilibrium constant, which can be written
as follows:
α 2 ⋅c
K= (16)
1−α
According to the Arrhenius assumption we get the Ostwald's dilution law in the fol-
lowing form:
–9– Task 31 – Conductivity of electrolytes

Λ2m ⋅ c
K= (17)
Λom (Λom − Λ m )
Equation (16) is often also known as the Ostwald's dilution law. The dependence (17)
is the simplest experimental method for the determination of equilibrium
constants of the dissociation process. It allows to check validity of the assumptions of classi-
cal theory of the electrolytic dissociation. According to this theory, the expression (17) should
be independent of the concentration. The Ostwald's dilution law is based on the assumption
that the ion mobility is independent of the concentration and the assumption about the right-
ness in the description of ionic equilibria by the mass action law.

III. 2. Determination of the solubility product

The solubility law says that the product of the ions concentrations in the saturated so-
lution of sparingly soluble salt is constant at a given temperature. For monovalent salts disso-
ciating completely, we can write:
[ M + ][ X − ] = LMX = const ≅ c r2 (18)
where cr - the concentration of the saturated solution.
The concentration of the saturated solution can be determined from the conductivity
measurements. The conductivity of a saturated solution of a sparingly soluble salt, due to the
low concentration can be expressed by the following relation:
κ = c r ⋅ (λo+ + λo− ) (19)
Thus:
2
 κ 
L =  o o 
 (20)
λ
 + + λ − 

The conductivity value in equations (19) and (20) is the value of saturated salt solution
in water ( κ MX ) reduced by the value of the conductivity of water used to dissolve the salt (
κ H 2O ).
κ = κ MX − κ H O
2
(21)

This method can be used to determine solubility product for not too much sparingly
soluble salts because with small values of the difference ( κ MX − κ H 2O ) the solubility is
charged with too large error.

III.3. Determination of the ionic products of water

Ionic product of water can be determined also by measuring its conductivity:

2
 κ H 2O 
≅ o 
2 2
K w = a H O + ⋅ a OH − = c H O + ⋅ c OH − ⋅ γ ≅ c H O + (22)
3 3 3  λ + + λo − 
 H 3O OH 
Physical Chemistry – 10 –

where aH O + and aOH − - the activity of hydronium and hydroxyl ions, respectively.
3

For measurement of the ionic product of water, we should use ultrapure water, because
the presence of other ions significantly changes its conductivity value.

III. 4. Titration conductivity

Conductometric titration is an analytical method based on examination of the changes

in conductivity of the electrolyte during the addition of a titrant. The changes result from
those in different mobility.
– 11 – Task 31 – Conductivity of electrolytes

IV. Experimental

A. Devices and materials

1. Devices:
– RC generator,
– Wheatstone bridge,
– zero indicator,
– vessel with electrodes to measure conductivity.
2. Equipment:
– - Volumetric flasks 50 cm3 8 pcs
3
– - Graduate pipettes 25 cm 2 pcs
3
– - Precision pipettes 5 cm 2 pcs
3
– - Beaker 400 cm 1 pcs
– - Wash bottle 2 pcs
3. Reagents:
Aqueous solutions: 0.02 M KCl, 0.1 M CH3COONa, 0.1 M NaCl, 0.1 M HCl and 0.1 M
CH3COOH.

B. Program
1. Determination of the resistance cell constant:
a) Assembly of the measurement system.
Assembly of the measurement system according to the scheme shown in Figure 4. On
the generator set a frequency range by pressing the button corresponding to 100 Hz.
Throughout the measurement the frequency should be maintained (read on the display)
at 10 Hz.

Fig. 4. The conductivity measurement system.

Physical Chemistry – 12 –

b) Measure the resistance of the electrolyte.

Using the [x] and [:] switches select the appropriate relative resistance of the bridge so
as to obtain a clear pointer deflection rate of zero. Then, turning knobs of the bridge
bring a hint pointer of the zero indicator to zero. The measured resistance value is cal-
culated by summing up the values read out at five comparison decades and multiply-
ing the resulting value by the integrated relative resistance value [x] and dividing by
the second relative resistance value [:].

2. Measurement of conductivity of selected electrolytes

a) Prepare by diluting the solutions of HCl, NaCl, and CH3COONa of the following con-
centrations: 0.01 M; 0.03 M; 0.05 M; 0.07 M; 0.1 M.
For CH3COOH prepare the solutions of the concentrations: 0.0025 M; 0.005 M;
0.01 M; 0.05 M; 0.1 M.
b) Measure the resistance of the prepared electrolytes.

3. Elaboration of the results.

The measurement results should be presented in Table 2.

Table 2. Measurement of the conductivity; t [oC] = .....

Electrolyte c [mol/dm3] R [Ω]

C. Methods
1. Determination of the cell resistance constant.
Cell constant, equal to the product of the distance between the electrodes and their
surfaces characterizes the dimensions of the electrolyte solution column located between the
two electrodes. It is determined from the equation:
k =κ ⋅R (23)
by measuring the resistance R of the electrolyte located in the measurement vessel. Electrical
conductivity of the standard electrolyte k has been determined through direct measurements.
Calculate the resistance cell constant from Eq. (1) using the measured values of the resistance
of 0.01 M and 0.02 M KCl and the appropriate values of the electrolytic conductivity of the
given electrolyte placed in Table 3.
– 13 – Task 31 – Conductivity of electrolytes

Table 3. Electrolytic conductivity of the appropriate KCl solutions.

0.01 M KCl 0.02 M KCl

Temp. t [oC]
[S/m] [S/m]
15 0.1147 0.2213
16 0.1173 0.2268
17 0.1199 0.2324
18 0.1223 0.2400
19 0.1251 0.2434
20 0.1278 0.2504
21 0.1305 0.2545
22 0.1332 0.2600
23 0.1359 0.2655
24 0.1386 0.2711
25 0.1413 0.2766

2. Examination of the dependence between the electrolyte conductivity and its concentration
a) Calculation of the conductivity of the electrolyte solutions.
Calculate the electrolytic conductivity κ from the relationship:
k
κ= (24)
R
using the determined values of the cell resistant constant and the measured values of
the resistance R. Plot the dependence k = f(c) (c - the electrolyte concentration).

b) Calculation of the molar conductivity of the studied electrolytes.

Calculate the molar conductivity Λ m from equation (10) keeping in mind the appro-
priate adjustment of the units. Draw the plot of Λ m = f(c).

c) Determination of the limiting molar conductivity Λom of the studied electrolytes.

The molar conductivity values for all tested electrolytes: HCl, NaCl, CH3COONa and
CH3COOH should be given in one figure Λ m = f( c ).
In the case of the strong electrolytes: NaCl and HCl and CH3COONa this relationship
is linear, and can be expressed by the Kohlrausch's equation (14). Using the least
squares method (see Appendix) determine the value of the constant a and limiting mo-
lar conductivity Λom .
The obtained results of calculations should be presented in a table according to the
specified model. Based on the determined values of parameters of Eq. (14), present
linear dependences on the diagram.
In the case of CH3COOH, which is a weak electrolyte, Λom value can not be deter-
mined by extrapolation to c = 0. It can be calculated from the Kohlrausch's law of in-
Physical Chemistry – 14 –

dependent movement of ions using the determined values of Λom for the corresponding
strong electrolytes. For CH3COOH Λom can be calculated based on the values of Λom
for CH3COONa, NaCl and HCl solutions:
Λom ( CH 3COOH ) = Λom ( CH 3COONa ) + Λom ( HCl ) − Λom ( NaCl ) (25)
Calculate the value of Λom for CH3COOH from Eq. (25).

d) Presentation of the obtained results.

The calculation results should be presented in Table 4.

Table 4. Conductivity of electrolytes; t [oC] ……, k [m -1] = ....

Electrolyte c [mol/dm3] √ R [Ω] [S/m]  [Sm2/mol]

Λom ( CH 3COONa ) = Λom ( NaCl ) = Λom ( HCl ) = Λom ( CH 3COOH ) =

3. Determination of the equilibrium dissociation constant of CH3COOH

a) Calculate the degree of dissociation of CH3COOH, α, from Eq. (15).
b) Calculate the equilibrium dissociation constant, K, from the Ostwald law Eq. (16).
c) The obtained results of calculations should be presented in Table 5.
– 15 – Task 31 – Conductivity of electrolytes

Table 5. Determination of the degree and the equilibrium dissociation constant of CH3COOH;
t [oC] ...; k [m -1] = ...; Λom [Sm2/mol] = ....


c [mol/dm3] R [Ω]  [S/m] α K
[Sm2/mol]

Kśr = ………..

D. Conclusions
– analyze the dependences between the conductivity, molar conductivity and the con-
centration of the electrolyte for the weak and strong electrolytes.
– compare the obtained values of the limiting molar conductivity and the equilibrium
constant of the CH3COOH dissociation process with the tabular ones.