Electrolysis and Electrolytic Conductance 165

compare the conductance of two solutions, equivalent conductance is

considered because one equivalent of different electrolytes involves the same
number of electrons (i.e., Avogadro constant of electrons) in accordance with
Faraday’s second law of electrolysis while one mole of different electrolytes
may or may not involve the same number of electrons. In other words, the
solutions, each containing one equivalent of different electrolytes, are equivalent in
terms of moles of electrons being carried.

Conductance, Specific Conductance, Equivalent Conductance and Molar

Conductance
The reciprocal of resistance offered by an electrolyte
to the flow of electricity through it is known as
conductance. The unit of conductance is ohm 1 or
mho.
a a 1
Conductance  
resistance
Consider the portion of the electrolyte lying
between the two parallel and equal electrodes as shown in the diagram; the
area of each electrode being ‘a’ sq cm and the distance between them is ‘l’
cm. Since the electrolytes, like metallic conductors, also offer resistance to the
flow of electricity, Ohm’s law can be applied to the electrolytic conductor.
Ohm’s law relates the resistance ‘R’ offered by a medium with the applied
voltage ‘V’ and the passing current ‘I’
V  IR.  (6)
The resistance ‘R’ is related to the dimensions of the conductor as:
Rl
1
and R 
a
l l
 R ; R
a a
where R = resistance,   specific resistance
1 1 l
or   
 R a
l
 specific conductance  conductance    (7a)
a
1 1
Just as is called conductance, is called specific conductance, denoted
R 
by ‘K’. The unit of specific conductance is mho per cm. The SI unit of
conductivity is the siemens (S) which is equal to ohm–1 or mho.
The solution under study is filled in a conductivity cell made of pyrex
glass having two platinum electrodes fixed parallel to each other. For a given