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Answer the following in brief · Q1

Q.i. Explain the effect of dilution of solution on conductivity ?

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✓ Free question

Step 1. Conductivity kk depends on the number of current-carrying ions per unit volume of solution.

Step 2. On dilution, the electrolyte dissociates further, so the TOTAL number of ions in the whole solution rises — but never in exact proportion to the dilution factor.

Step 3. As a worked illustration, 100 cm³ containing 8×10208\times10^{20} ions (8×10188\times10^{18}/cm³) diluted tenfold to 1000 cm³ might have its total ions rise only to 64×102064\times10^{20}, giving 6.8×10186.8\times10^{18} ions/cm³ — LOWER than before dilution.

Step 4. So kk (ions per unit volume) decreases with dilution, while Λ=1000k/c\Lambda=1000k/c (defined per mole) increases with dilution, because the fraction of electrolyte dissociated per mole keeps rising even as the volume-density of ions falls.

✓Final answer

Dilution decreases the electrolytic conductivity (k) because, although total ions rise with increased dissociation, this rise is not proportional to the dilution, so ions-per-unit-volume fall; molar conductivity (∧), being defined per mole rather than per volume, correspondingly increases on dilution.

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