Conductometry
INTRODUCTION
Conductometry is the measurement of the electrical conductivity of a solution. The conductance is defined as the current flow through the conductor. In other words, it is defined as the reciprocal of the resistance. The unit for the conductance is Seimens (S) which is the reciprocal of Ohm's (Ω−1). This method is mainly used for the determination of the physico-chemical properties of the compounds.
Conductive measurements began as early as the 18th century, when Andreas Baumgartner noticed that salt and mineral waters from Bad Gastein in Austria conducted electricity.As such, using conductometry to determine water purity, which is often used today to test the effectiveness of water purification systems, began in 1776. Friedrich Kohlrausch further developed conductometry in the 1860s when he applied alternating current to water, acids, and other solutions. It was also around this time when Willis Whitney, who was studying the interactions of sulfuric acid and chromium sulfate complexes, found the first conductometric endpoint. These finding culminated into potentiometric titrations and the first instrument for volumetric analysis by Robert Behrend in 1883 while titrating chloride and bromide with HgNO3. This development allowed for testing the solubility of salts and hydrogen ion concentration, as well as acid/base and redox titrations. Conductometry was further improved with the development of the glass electrode, which began in 1909.