ELECTROLYTIC SOLUTIONS IN VARIOUS SOLVENTS 53 



TABLE XIX. 

 CONDUCTANCE OF Hg(CN) 2 IN NH 3 AT 33. 



V 1.16 3.37 5.71 21.8 33.0 55.6 



A 2.48 1.86 1.79 1.63 1.64 1.75 



The solutions of this salt exhibit a conductance curve with a very flat 

 minimum, the curve thus being similar to that of potassium iodide in 

 methylamine. Silver cyanide likewise exhibits a curve with a minimum. 

 The values are given in Table XX. 12 



TABLE XX. 

 CONDUCTANCE OF AgCN IN NH 3 AT 33. 



V 4.48 9.02 17.85 35.25 69.69 137.7 272.8 538.0 1063.0 



A .... 15.58 15.39 14.28 13.45 12.83 12.41 12.12 12.00 12.00 



It is evident from these values that the conductance curve for silver 

 cyanide has a very flat minimum in the neighborhood of 10~ 3 normal. 

 What is more striking, however, is the fact that the conductance changes 

 so little with the concentration. The entire change between 10~ 3 normal 

 and 0.5 normal is only from 12.00 to 15.5 or about 30 per cent. 



We see that solutions in non-aqueous solvents exhibit a great variety 

 of properties many of which diverge largely from those of aqueous solu- 

 tions. A great variety of liquids are capable of forming electrolytic solu- 

 tions with various substances and many substances which do not form 

 electrolytic solutions when dissolved in water form such solutions in 

 other solvents. 



2. Applicability of the Mass-Action Law to Non-Aqueous Solutions. 

 From a study of aqueous solutions of electrolytes, the conclusion was 

 reached that the conductance is due to the motion of charged carriers 

 through these solutions and that these charged carriers are in equilibrium 

 with the neutral molecules of the electrolyte. In other words, the elec- 

 trolyte is dissociated, or ionized, to use the accepted term for this process, 

 and the degree of ionization may be measured by means of the ratio of 

 the equivalent conductance of the solution to the limiting value which the 

 equivalent conductance approaches as the concentration diminishes in- 

 definitely. If this hypothesis is correct, then, as we have seen, the mass- 

 action law should apply, and, if the laws of dilute solutions may be 

 assumed to hold, Equation 7 expresses the relation between the con- 

 ductance and the concentration of an electrolytic solution. It was found 



u Franklin and Kraus, loc. cit. 



