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Kohlrausch's Law

Mediumchemistry

Using limiting molar conductivities of sodium chloride, hydrochloric acid, and sodium acetate, how can the value for acetic acid be obtained?

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About This Question

Subject
chemistry
Chapter
redox reactions and electrochemistry
Topic
kohlrausch's law
Difficulty
Medium
Year
2025
Tags
Kohlrausch lawionic migrationlimiting molar conductivityweak acidion contribution

Solution

Correct Answer:

Kohlrausch's law of independent migration of ions states that the limiting molar conductivity of an electrolyte is the sum of the independent contributions of its constituent cation and anion. For acetic acid the required ions are H^+ and CH_3COO^-. Adding the limiting conductivities of HCl (H^+ + Cl^-) and sodium acetate (Na^+ + CH_3COO^-) gives H^+ + Cl^- + Na^+ + CH_3COO^-. Subtracting sodium chloride (Na^+ + Cl^-) cancels the Na^+ and Cl^- contributions, leaving exactly H^+ + CH_3COO^-, the value for acetic acid. The option subtracting only NaCl from one salt does not assemble the correct ion pair. Adding all three double-counts ions and gives no meaningful result. The claim that it cannot be obtained indirectly contradicts the very purpose of Kohlrausch's law, which is essential for weak electrolytes whose conductivity cannot be measured directly at infinite dilution. Examiners frequently test whether a student can connect ionic migration with the underlying principle rather than merely recalling an isolated fact. It is worth emphasising that this is not a special case but a representative example of how kohlrausch's law operates throughout redox reactions and electrochemistry. Plausibility check: the ion bookkeeping cancels Na^+ and Cl^- cleanly, leaving precisely the ions of acetic acid, confirming the method.

This medium difficulty chemistry question is from the chapter redox reactions and electrochemistry, covering the topic of kohlrausch's law. It appeared in the 2025 exam.

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