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The effect of the solvent: Why is the conductivity of HC_2H_3 O_2, different in

ID: 495787 • Letter: T

Question

The effect of the solvent: Why is the conductivity of HC_2H_3 O_2, different in the two solvents? What causes this difference? Correlating chemical and conductivity behavior: Compare the rates of reaction of CaCO_3(s) with 6 M acetic acid and 6 M hydrochloric acid. the reaction of CaCO_3 with an acid, HA. is Compare the rates of reaction of Zn(s) with 6 M HC_2H_3O_2 and 6 M HCI. the reaction of zinc with an acid. HA, is there a correlation between the rates of the chemical reactions of 6 M HC_2H_3O_2 and 6 M HCI and the conductivities observed for HC_2H_3O_2(aq) and HCl(aq) in Part I? Suggest an explanation.

Explanation / Answer

b) HCl is a STRONG acid, that is to say it is 100% dissociated into ions. A solution of 6M concentration will give 6M H+ ions (and 6M chloride ions too)
ethanioc acid is a WEAK acid, regardless of its concentration. A weak acid is less than 100% dissociated into ions. so the equilibrium solution will contain undissociated CH3COOH, and somewhat less than 6M each of CH3COO- and H+ ions.

The similar behaviour is probably because both are CONCENTRATED acids (6moles per liter). If you reduced the concentration by half, then you would see a difference in the rate of each reaction.

c) Yes, HC2H3O2 is a weak acid, so it does not dissociate completely, it is an equilibrium.

HC2H3O2 <---> H^+ + C2H3O2^-, its Ka = 1.8 X 10^-5,

therefore, the amount of H^+ and C2H3O2^- in solution is smaller than for 6 M HCl, which undergoes 100 % dissociation.

HCl ----> H^+ + Cl^-

A 6 M HCl solution produces 6 M H^+ and 6 M Cl^-.
A 6 M HC2H3O2 solution produces 0.0104 M H^+ and 0.0104 M C2H3O2^-, a much lesser amount of ions capable of conducting electricity, so the conductivity of 6 M acetic acid is much less than the conductivity of 6 M hydrochloric acid.

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