Final answer:
As the ionic strength of a solution increases, the Debye length decreases, indicating a more effective screening of the charge by surrounding ions, which leads to a reduced range of electrical influence.
Step-by-step explanation:
As ionic strength increases, the Debye length, which is a measure of the charge screening effect in an electrolyte, tends to decrease. This is because the Debye length is inversely proportional to the square root of the ionic strength of the solution. When there are more ions present, the electric field of a charged particle is screened more effectively by neighboring ions, which reduces the range of its electric influence. Therefore, as the ionic strength goes up due to the increase in concentration of ions in solution, the Debye length shortens, reflecting diminished charge separation.
The van't Hoff factor, another important concept in solution chemistry, also reflects this behavior of ionic solutions. It is a measure of the deviation from ideal behavior in terms of the number of particles created in solution compared to what is expected from the solute's dissociation. Typically, as the concentration of the solute, and thereby the ionic strength, increases, the van't Hoff factor decreases, indicating greater deviation from ideal conditions.