Question

The conductivity of an electrolytic solution decreases on dilution due to:
a.) Decreases in number of ions per unit volume
b.) Increases in ionic mobility of ions
c.) Increase in percentage ionization
d.) Increase in number of ions per unit volume

Answer 1

Hint: Conductivity is the measure of the ease at which an electric charge or heat can pass through a material. An example of conductivity is heat transferring from hot pot of soup to a meat ladle sitting in the pot.

Complete step by step answer:
Let us see about conductivity of an electrolytic solution:
Conductivity of an electrolyte solution is a measure of its ability to conduct electricity. The SI unit of conductivity is Siemens per meter.
The substance undergoes decomposition in the case of an electrolytic conduction. As, the flow of electricity through such conductors happens due to the movement of ions and as the temperature of the substance increases so does the rate of conduction.

Let us know about molar conductivity!
Molar conductivity is defined as the conducting power of all the ions produced by dissolving one mole of an electrolyte in solution. If the solution contains 1 gm mole of the electrolyte therefore, the measured conductance will be the molar conductivity.

Conductivity changes with the concentration of the electrolyte. The number of ions per unit volume carrying the current decreases on dilution, so conductivity always decreases in concentration. However, molar conductivity increases with dilution.

The conductivity of an electrolytic solution decreases on dilution due to decrease in number of ions per unit volume. Therefore, Option A is the required answer!

Note: Conductivity measurements are used routinely in many industrial and environmental applications as an inexpensive and reliable way for measuring the ionic content in a solution.