Why would there be a difference in the conductivity between 1 mol NaCl & 0.1 molNaCl, 1 mol HCl & 0.1 mol HCl?

Question

Why would there be a difference in the conductivity between 1 mol NaCl & 0.1 mol NaCl, 1 mol HCl & 0.1 mol HCl?

Answer 1

when you say conductivity, i assume you mean electrical conductivity.

1mol of aqueous NaCl will exist in Na+ ions and Cl- ions. Hence, 1 mol of NaCl will result in a solution with a total of 2 mol os charge carriers that are free to move in solution, hence NaCl can conduct electricity.

Based on this concept, 0.1 mol of NaCl will only have 0.2 mol of charged carriers in solution and thus there are less charged carriers for current to flow in the solution.

Hence, the lower electrical conductivity for 0.1mol compared to 1 mol of NaCl.

For HCl, the case is the same. besides, electrical conductivity is much higher for NaCl as compared to HCl since NaCl is an ionic compound and exists almost 100% as ions in solution but HCl is a covalent which does not dissociate fully in water.

hope it was helpful =]

Answer 2

Solutions of electrolytes conduct electricity through the movement of ions. The more ions you have the higher the ability to conduct electricity.

The more concentrated solutions will have more ions and thus better conductivity. Both NaCl and HCl are strong electrolytes and dissociate completely. If you want to compare the conductivity of two solutions of these two (with the same concentration), then HCl is better because the conductivity of H+ occurs through a special mechanism (Grotthus mechanism).

There are a lot of factors involved in the ability of ions to conduct electricity but I don't think you are looking for an advanced electrochemistry answer.

Answer 3

Look up the differences between sodium chloride and hydrogen chloride.