Conductometric Investigation of Electrolytic Solutions in Hydrocarbons

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Abstract
Conductometric investigations were made of electrolytic solutions in xylene and of a hydrocarbon oil both of which have conductivities of from 10−12 to 10−11 mho/cm at room temperature. The electrolytes introduced were composed of an organic basic and an organic acidic material, the former being an amine. A three‐component system (amine, aliphatic acid, and a phenol) was generally required in order to obtain high conductivities at relatively low concentrations of electrolytes. It is shown that the effect of the phenol is only partly caused by the increase of dielectric constant; the chief process is probably a specific one. On the theory that the mechanism consists in the formation of an addition‐compound that subsequently dissociates into ions, the experimental data were subjected to an analysis. It appears that generally five or more single molecules combine to form a compound and that the concentration of the compound is a small percentage of the total solute present. The results have a bearing on the problem of deterioration of insulating oils. The high conductivities of the latter, even in the presence of certain colloidal constituents, are ultimately caused by electrolytic ions of the type investigated.