Question

Amongst the following, the form of water with the lowest ionic conductance at \[298{\text{ }}K\] is:
a) Distilled water
b) Sea water
c) Saline water used for intravenous injection
d) Water from a well

Answer 1

Hint: Only the extremely low concentrations of \[H + \] and \[OH - \]ions, which together have a negligible collective conductivity, are present in distilled water.

Complete Step by Step Solution:
At \[298{\text{ }}K\] , distilled water has the lowest ionic conductance among all liquids. This is because, at this temp erature, water molecules are in their most stable state and have a higher tendency to stay together. The reason for this is that as the temperature increases, more and more molecules enter into a vibrational state, making them move away from each other. Distilled water is a pure form of water that is not found in nature. It is a result of the distillation process, which removes all the impurities from water. Distilled water has low ionic conductance at \[298{\text{ }}K\] and also has a high dielectric constant.

The distillation process involves boiling the water until it evaporates, leaving behind pure steam and condensate collected in a still. The condensate is then heated to separate into its components: pure vapour, liquid water, and gaseous products such as hydrogen and oxygen. The vaporised steam leaves behind a residue of pure distilled water vapour.

Note: Ionic conductance is the ability of a substance to pass through it. It measures how well ionic species in a solution can move through the solution.