Individual solutions of Ba(OH)2 and H2SO4 both conduct electricit...

Question

Individual solutions of Ba(OH)2 and H2SO4 both conduct electricity, but the conductivity disappears when equal molar amounts of the solutions are mixed. Explain.

Accepted Answer

Hey everyone, we're told that sulfuric acid and calcium hydroxide both conduct electricity when dissolved in separate solutions. But the conductivity is lost when the two solutions are combined in equal molar amounts explain. So as we know, sulfuric acid is one of our strong acids. And in comparison to calcium hydroxide, this is one of our strong bases and we know that strong acids and strong bases completely dissociate in aqueous solutions and conduct electricity. But when we mix equal molars of our calcium hydroxide plus our sulfuric acid, we end up with calcium sulfate plus our water. And as we can see from our balanced chemical equation, our calcium sulfate is insoluble, so it is unable to produce an appreciable amount of ions. And because of that it does not conduct electricity. So I hope that made sense. And let us know if you have any questions.

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