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Which of the following solutions would you expect to be the strongest electrolytic solution?

a. 0.500 M solution of NaCl
b. 0.600 M solution of acetic acid
c. 0.800 M solution of sucrose
d. 0.300 M solution of NaCl
e. 0.400 M solution of acetic acid
f. 0.500 M solution of sucrose

User Spooles
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1 Answer

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Final answer:

The 0.500 M NaCl solution would be the strongest electrolytic solution as NaCl is a strong electrolyte that fully disassociates in solution. Acetic acid solutions are weaker electrolytes and sucrose is a nonelectrolyte which doesn't disassociate into ions.

Step-by-step explanation:

To determine which solution would be the strongest electrolytic solution, we consider the nature of the solutes - strong electrolytes, weak electrolytes, and nonelectrolytes.

Strong electrolytes disassociate completely into ions in solution and thus provide greater ionic strength and conductivity.

Sodium chloride (NaCl) is a strong electrolyte, and therefore, both a. 0.500 M NaCl and d. 0.300 M NaCl solutions will be strong electrolytic solutions.

However, since a higher molarity of the solution usually translates to more ions in solution, 0.500 M NaCl will be expected to be the strongest electrolytic solution among all the given options.

Acetic acid is a weak electrolyte, meaning it partially disassociates in solution, while sucrose is a nonelectrolyte and does not disassociate into ions at all.

Therefore, solutions with these solutes (b. 0.600 M acetic acid, e. 0.400 M acetic acid, c. 0.800 M sucrose, and f. 0.500 M sucrose) would not be as strong of electrolytes as the NaCl solutions.

User Serkan Hekimoglu
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