Question

Give a reason for the following:

Specific conductance decreases with dilution, whereas equivalent conductance increases with dilution.

Answer 1

1. Specific conductance (κ) is the conductance of a unit volume of solution. As dilution increases, the number of ions per unit volume decreases, leading to lower conductivity. Hence, specific conductance decreases with dilution.
2. Equivalent conductance (Λ_eq​) is the conductance of all the ions produced by one gram equivalent of electrolyte in the solution. With dilution, ion mobility increases due to reduced inter-ionic attraction. Hence, equivalent conductance increases with dilution.