Question
Which of the following best explains why ethanoic acid has a lower electrical conductivity than hydrochloric acid? Enter a number Ethanoic acid is more dilute than hydrochloric acid. Ethanoic acid is fully ionised whereas hydrochloric acid is not. Elianole ocid is less reactive than hydrochloric acid. Ethonoic acid has a lower concentration of hydrogen lons to carry the charge.
Answer
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Ernest
Elite · Tutor for 8 years
Answer
(4) Ethenoic adid has a lower concentration of hydrogen lons to carry the charge.
Explanation
## Step1: Ethanoic acid, also known as acetic acid, is a weak acid which means it only partially dissociates when mixed in a water solution. Partial dissociation results in fewer ions compared to those produced by a similar concentration of a strong acid. ## Step2: Hydrochloric acid, on the other hand, is a known strong acid. It fully or almost completely ionizes in the solution. The ionization process leads to more free hydrogen ions and other anionic species which freely move and are able to facilitate the flow of electric current thereby increasing its conductivity. ## Step3:The electrical conductivity of a solution is highly dependent on the amount of free ions present. All the reasons listed; reactiveness, concentration and diluteness of acids, could contribute to an acid's solving properties including electrical conductivity but the most immediate factor is really the acid's ionization level.### The best explanation as to why ethanoic acid has lower conductivity than hydrochloric acid is therefore provided by 'Ethenoic adid has a lower concentration of hydrogen lons to carry the charge.' Ionization of an acid determines this concentration, thus, due to less ionization, ethanoic acid will have lower concentration of ions to carry the charge accounting for its observed lower electrical conductivity.