Question

The best conductor of electricity is a \[1M\] solution of :
A. Boric acid
B. Acetic acid
C. ${H_2}S{O_4}$
D. Phosphoric acid

Answer 1

Hint: As acids and bases contain dissolved ions in aqueous solutions, therefore, they will conduct electricity. Acids and bases are electrolytes as a result. Strong electrolytes will be strong acids and bases. Weak electrolytes will be weak acids and bases. The conductivity of electricity will depend on the number of charge carriers.

Complete step-by-step answer:Chemical formula of boric acid is \[{H_3}B{O_3}\] , acetic acid is \[C{H_3}COOH\] and phosphoric acid is \[{H_3}P{O_4}\] .
Out of the four acids given in the question, boric acid and acetic acid are weak acids and we know that weak acids are not very good conductors of electricity. The rest of the two acids, that is, sulphuric acid and phosphoric acid are comparatively stronger than the other two acids.
Now, when sulphuric acid dissociates it gives 2 \[{H^ + }\] ions and one sulphate ion.
Similarly when phosphoric acid dissociates it gives 3 \[{H^ + }\] ions and one phosphate ion.
We see that the maximum number of ions are liberated in case of phosphoric acid which implies that it is the best conductor of electricity.
More the number of ions liberated, the better will be the conductivity of the acid.
The aqueous solution of acid conducts electricity because ions are present. Simply multiplying each ion's concentration by its molar conductivity and charge, then adding these values for all the ions in the solution, yields the conductivity of the mixture. The mobility of an \[{H^ + }\] ion is greater than that of an \[O{H^ - }\] ion by roughly double. The conductivity of a strong acid would be higher than that of a strong base.

Option ‘D’ is correct

Note: When dissolved in water, sodium hydroxide and hydrochloric acid both almost entirely separate into ions. As a result, these compounds' solutions have excellent electrical conductivity. The concentration of ions in a solution affects its capacity to conduct electricity. A strong acid's solution will be a better electrical conductor than one produced by a weak acid because it contains more ions.