175 



Conductivity of Cektain Salts in Ethyl, Amine. 



By Edward G. Mahin. 



The conductivities of silver nitrate, lithium chloride and ammonium 

 chloride in ethyl amine were measured by Shinn, 1 who showed that the 

 molecular conductivities change with dilution in an unexpected manner. 

 In the case of silver nitrate the molecular conductivity decreases with 

 dilution until V=75.15, this being the highest dilution used. The mole- 

 cular conductivity of lithium chloride increases with dilution until 

 Y=0.S67, then decreases until V=21.08, after which it apparently slightly 

 increases. The molecular conductivity of ammonium chloride decreases 

 with dilution until V=1S.24, after which it increases. These facts would 

 not seem remarkable were it not for the concluding words of the author's 

 paper. After summarizing the results of his experimental work, he sas r s: 



"From the standpoint of the theory of electrolytic dissociation the 

 electrical behavior of solutions in primary and secondary amines and 

 in amides, so far as such solutions have been studied, is inexplicable. 

 The facts that for one and the same solute the conductivities of solutions 

 may not only be very large or very small, but may increase or decrease 

 with dilution, or attain maximum or minimum values depending upon 

 the specific nature of the solvent, suggest that the role of the solvent in 

 the process of the transmission of an electric current through a solution 

 is, in all probability, a very active rather than an indifferent one, and 

 does not materially differ from that of the solute. In such event, the 

 prevalent conception of 'molecular conductivity' becomes not only mean- 

 ingless, but misleading." 



In arriving at the conclusions here indicated it would seem that the 

 author has overlooked certain facts which may not only serve to explain 

 the apparent departure from the dilution laws, but which would make 

 this departure seem inevitable. It has long been known that the aliphatic- 

 amines are strongly basic substances, forming simple salts analogous to 

 the ammonium salts, as well as complex metallic salts which are ana- 

 logous to those where hydrogen of the ammonium radicle is substituted 

 by a metal. Indeed, this salt formation is to be expected since the ali- 



»J. Phys. Ch., 11, 537. 



