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LLOYDQUARTERMAN, H. H. HYMAK AKD J. J. KATZ
Vol. 65
ELECTRICAL CONDUCTIVITY OF SOME ORGANIC SOLUTES IN ANHYDROUS HYDROGEN FLUORIDE1 BY LLOYDQUARTERMAN, HERBERT H. HYMANAND JOSEPHJ. KATZ Argonne National Laboratory, Argmne, Illinois Receiced June 24, 1960
Many organic liquids containing oxygen are miscible with anhydrous hydrogen fluoride. Ethanol, acetic acid and diethyl ether are typical proton acceptors and form highly conducting solutions over most of the concentration range. Trifluoroethanol, trifluoroacetic acid and nitrobenzene are much less extensively ionized in this medium. Perfluorobutyl ether is essentially insoluble. The electrical conductivities for these systems are tabulated and compared.
Introduction We have had an active interest in the behavior of anhydrous hydrogen fluoride as a proton-transfer ionizing solvent. While the properties of solutions in hydrogen fluoride can be studied by optical spectroscopy and allied procedures, measurements of electrical conductivity have an almost unique value in the interpretation of the nature of such solutions. We have therefore carried out an extensive series of electrical conductivity determinations for a number of representative organic solutes. Most of the literature on the electrical conductivity of hydrogen fluoride solutions is due to Fredenhagen, and has been summarized by Simons. In general, these measurements have been in the concentration range below 1 mole of solute per liter of hydrogen fluoride. For the present research, we have investigated the electrical conductivity for a number of representative solutes over a much larger range of concentration.
Experimental Materials.-The hydrogen fluoride was purified by a method which has been previously described.4 After the final distillation, the hydrogen fluoride was not permitted to come into contact with any metal other than platinum, and moisture was rigorously excluded. The electrical conductivity of material so prepared was routinely
