78 



CONDUCTIVITIES OF ORGANIC ACIDS 



One of the most interesting facts developed in this work is the very 

 large percentage temperature coefficients of conductivity of the organic 

 acids in alcohol. These range for 10 from 15 to 50 per cent. 



There is often a rapid increase in the conductivity of the organic acids 

 with increase in dilution, yet certain of the acids behave in just the 

 opposite manner e. g., o-chlorbenzoic acid and p-nitrobenzoic acid. 



Our results seem to suggest the following possibilities, if we take 

 into account the work done here on the organic acids in aqueous solu- 

 tions ; that there is much greater alcoholation than hydration, and this 

 is decreased with rise in temperature. The work already done in this 

 laboratory renders this highly improbable. The alcoholates may be 



more unstable with rise in temperature 

 than the hydrates, but water seems to 

 have in general far more power to com- 

 bine with dissolved substances than 

 alcohol. 



0.4 



Log 

 FIG. 25. Malonic acid. 



I 2 



Log volume 



FIG. 26. p-Chlorobenzoic acid. 



If dissociation in alcoholic solutions increases with rise in tempera- 

 ture, it might account for the large temperature coefficients of conduc- 

 tivity in such solutions ; but this again seems highly improbable. The 

 greater expansion of the alcohol with rise in temperature would allow a 

 freer movement of the ions, and this doubtless is of some significance. 



A method for determining the dissociation of the organic acids in 

 alcohol (somewhat similar to that used with aqueous solutions) will, 

 it is hoped, be worked out in the investigation of this subject which is 

 to follow this preliminary one. It will involve the study in alcohol of 



