Jove
Visualize
Contact Us
JoVE
x logofacebook logolinkedin logoyoutube logo
ABOUT JoVE
OverviewLeadershipBlogJoVE Help Center
AUTHORS
Publishing ProcessEditorial BoardScope & PoliciesPeer ReviewFAQSubmit
LIBRARIANS
TestimonialsSubscriptionsAccessResourcesLibrary Advisory BoardFAQ
RESEARCH
JoVE JournalMethods CollectionsJoVE Encyclopedia of ExperimentsArchive
EDUCATION
JoVE CoreJoVE BusinessJoVE Science EducationJoVE Lab ManualFaculty Resource CenterFaculty Site
Terms & Conditions of Use
Privacy Policy
Policies

Related Concept Videos

The Debye–Hückel Theory of Electrolyte Solutions01:27

The Debye–Hückel Theory of Electrolyte Solutions

154
The Debye–Hückel theory, established by Peter Debye and Erich Hückel in 1923, is a fundamental concept in physical chemistry. It provides an understanding of the behavior of strong electrolytes in solution, particularly explaining their deviations from ideal behavior.The theory is based on Coulombic interactions (the attraction or repulsion between charged particles) between ions in solution. In an ionic solution, oppositely charged ions tend to attract each other. This means...
154
Theory of Strong Electrolytes01:23

Theory of Strong Electrolytes

65
The interionic forces of the strong electrolytes depend on the solvent's dielectric constant, which is the ability of a solvent to store electrical energy, based on its polarizability. and the solution's concentration. In high-dielectric solvents and in dilute solutions, weak electrostatic forces keep ions apart. However, in low-dielectric solvents or concentrated solutions, stronger interionic forces may cause ions to pair up as ionic doublets despite being fully ionized. The theory of strong...
65
Factors Affecting Activity Coefficient01:17

Factors Affecting Activity Coefficient

1.8K
The extended Debye-Hückel equation indicates that the activity coefficient of an ion in an aqueous solution at 25°C depends on three partially interdependent properties: the ionic strength of the solution, the charge of the ion, and the ion size. 
The activity coefficient value for an ion is close to one when the solution has almost zero ionic strength, i.e., when the solution shows close to ideal behavior. As the ionic strength of the solution increases from 0 to 0.1 mol/L, a...
1.8K
Electrolytes: van't Hoff Factor03:08

Electrolytes: van't Hoff Factor

37.6K
Colligative Properties of Electrolytes
The colligative properties of a solution depend only on the number, not on the identity, of solute species dissolved. The concentration terms in the equations for various colligative properties (freezing point depression, boiling point elevation, osmotic pressure) pertain to all solute species present in the solution. Nonelectrolytes dissolve physically without dissociation or any other accompanying process. Each molecule that dissolves yields one...
37.6K
Thermodynamics: Activity Coefficient01:24

Thermodynamics: Activity Coefficient

3.3K
Activity is the measure of the effective concentration of the species in solution. It can be expressed as the product of the molar concentration of the species and its activity coefficient. The activity coefficient is a dimensionless quantity and depends on the total ionic strength of the solution.
The activity coefficient is a measure of the deviation from ideal behavior. When the ionic strength of the solution is minimal, the activity coefficient of an ionic species is close to unity, making...
3.3K
Ionic Strength: Overview01:12

Ionic Strength: Overview

3.5K
The ionic strength of a solution is a quantitative way of expressing the total electrolyte concentration of a solution. This concept was first introduced in 1921 by two American physical chemists, Gilbert N. Lewis and Merle Randall, while describing the activity coefficient of strong electrolytes. During the calculation of ionic strength (I or μ), all the cations and anions are considered. However, the concentration (c) of an ion with a greater charge number (z) has a greater contribution...
3.5K

You might also read

Related Articles

Articles linked to this work by shared authors, journal, and citation graph.

Sort by
Same author

Interconversion of Specific and Equivalent Conductivity of Ions in Electrolyte Solution: Effects of High Ionic Valence and Temperature.

Journal of chemical theory and computation·2021
Same author

An improved theory of the electric conductance of ionic solutions based on the concept of the ion-atmosphere's smaller-ion shell.

Physical chemistry chemical physics : PCCP·2018
Same author

Correction to Negative Deviations from the Debye-Hückel Limiting Law for High-Charge Polyvalent Electrolytes: Are They Real?

Journal of chemical theory and computation·2018
Same author

Reply to "Comment on 'Negative Deviations from the Debye-Hückel Limiting Law for High-Charge Polyvalent Electrolytes: Are They Real?' ".

Journal of chemical theory and computation·2018
Same author

Negative Deviations from the Debye-Hückel Limiting Law for High-Charge Polyvalent Electrolytes: Are They Real?

Journal of chemical theory and computation·2018
Same author

Corrigendum: Ion strength limit of computed excess functions based on the linearized poisson-boltzmann equation.

Journal of computational chemistry·2016

Related Experiment Video

Updated: Mar 25, 2026

Application of Electrophysiology Measurement to Study the Activity of Electro-Neutral Transporters
11:51

Application of Electrophysiology Measurement to Study the Activity of Electro-Neutral Transporters

Published on: February 3, 2018

7.6K

Single-ion activity: experiment versus theory.

Dan Fraenkel1

  • 1Eltron Research & Development, Inc., 4600 Nautilus Court South, Boulder, Colorado 80301-3241, USA. dfraenkel@eltronresearch.com

The Journal of Physical Chemistry. B
|February 15, 2012
PubMed
Summary

The long-standing debate on single ion activity (a(i)) validity is addressed. A new study shows the smaller-ion shell theory aligns with experimental single ion activity, unlike the primitive model.

Area of Science:

  • Physical Chemistry
  • Electrochemistry
  • Ionic Solutions

Background:

  • The thermodynamic validity of single ion activity (a(i)) remains a century-old debate.
  • Current electrochemical techniques like ion-specific electrodes (ISEs) and advanced liquid junctions fuel interest in a(i).
  • Ionic solution theories typically calculate mean ionic activity (a(±)) from individual ion activities (a(+) and a(-)).

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the validity of theoretical single ion activity (a(i)) values.
  • To compare theoretical a(i) from different models with experimentally estimated values.
  • To resolve discrepancies in ionic solution theories regarding single ion activity.

Main Methods:

  • Utilizing the smaller-ion shell treatment for strong electrolyte solutions.

More Related Videos

Measurement of Extracellular Ion Fluxes Using the Ion-selective Self-referencing Microelectrode Technique
09:18

Measurement of Extracellular Ion Fluxes Using the Ion-selective Self-referencing Microelectrode Technique

Published on: May 3, 2015

14.5K
Measuring Cation Transport by Na,K- and H,K-ATPase in Xenopus Oocytes by Atomic Absorption Spectrophotometry: An Alternative to Radioisotope Assays
12:48

Measuring Cation Transport by Na,K- and H,K-ATPase in Xenopus Oocytes by Atomic Absorption Spectrophotometry: An Alternative to Radioisotope Assays

Published on: February 19, 2013

11.2K

Related Experiment Videos

Last Updated: Mar 25, 2026

Application of Electrophysiology Measurement to Study the Activity of Electro-Neutral Transporters
11:51

Application of Electrophysiology Measurement to Study the Activity of Electro-Neutral Transporters

Published on: February 3, 2018

7.6K
Measurement of Extracellular Ion Fluxes Using the Ion-selective Self-referencing Microelectrode Technique
09:18

Measurement of Extracellular Ion Fluxes Using the Ion-selective Self-referencing Microelectrode Technique

Published on: May 3, 2015

14.5K
Measuring Cation Transport by Na,K- and H,K-ATPase in Xenopus Oocytes by Atomic Absorption Spectrophotometry: An Alternative to Radioisotope Assays
12:48

Measuring Cation Transport by Na,K- and H,K-ATPase in Xenopus Oocytes by Atomic Absorption Spectrophotometry: An Alternative to Radioisotope Assays

Published on: February 19, 2013

11.2K
  • Comparing theoretical a(i) values with experimentally derived estimates.
  • Analyzing the primitive model as a basis for ionic theories.

    • Main Results:

    • Theoretical a(i) values from the smaller-ion shell treatment show agreement with experimental estimates.
    • Theoretical a(i) values derived from the primitive model do not align with experimental data.
    • The adjustment of ion-size parameters in theories optimizes a(±) but not necessarily individual a(i).

    Conclusions:

    • The smaller-ion shell treatment provides a more accurate theoretical description of single ion activity.
    • The primitive model, widely used in ionic theories, requires revision for accurate a(i) prediction.
    • This work offers a path toward resolving the long-standing dispute over single ion activity validity.