JCE Software Chemistry Comes Alive!
Neutralization

Aqueous solutions of acetic acid and ammonia have very low conductivity. When these solutions are mixed, the resulting solution of ammonium acetate displays high conductivity.

View slide thumbnails.
View Slide Thumbnails
  Next movie.
View Next Movie
 

3.7 MB, 56 seconds

File: MOVIES/TRAM15/0504607.MOV

Voiceover
A conductivity apparatus demonstrates that water is a very poor conductor of electricity. An aqueous solution 0.1M acetic acid is a very weak electrolyte as shown by its poor conductance. A 0.1M aqueous solution ammonia is also a very weak electrolyte as shown by its low conductivity. When aqueous solutions of acetic acid and ammonia are mixed, the resulting neutralization reaction produces the highly ionized salt of ammonium acetate which is an excellent conductor of electricity.

Discussion
The neutralization of a weak acid, acetic acid, by a weak base, aqueous ammonia, is demonstrated. The nonconductance of water is compared to the poor conductance of 0.1M acetic acid and 0.1M aqueous ammonia. However, when the acetic acid and ammonia are mixed, the resulting solution of ammonium acetate is a very good conductor.


       

Design, Text and Demonstrator:  
  Gary Trammell University of Illinois at Springfield, Springfield, IL 62794
Videographer/Editor:  
  Steve Dykema University of Illinois at Springfield, Springfield, IL 62794
Voice:  
  Margaret Biddle University of Wisconsin - Madison, Madison, WI 53706
Audio Production:  
  Greg Minix University of Wisconsin - Madison, College of Engineering, Madison, WI 53706
  Jerrold J. Jacobsen University of Wisconsin - Madison, Madison, WI 53706