Effect of Organic and Inorganic Compounds on the Conductivity of Salt Solutions

Authors

  • Wulan Dwi Safitri Department of Chemistry, Faculty of Mathematics and Natural Sciences, Universitas Negeri Medan, Medan 20221, Indonesia
  • Dian Wardana Department of Chemistry, Faculty of Mathematics and Natural Sciences, Universitas Negeri Medan, Medan 20221, Indonesia
  • Dwi Sapri Ramadhan Department of Chemistry, Faculty of Mathematics and Natural Sciences, Universitas Negeri Medan, Medan 20221, Indonesia
  • Jam'an Fahmi Department of Chemistry, Faculty of Mathematics and Natural Sciences, Universitas Negeri Medan, Medan 20221, Indonesia
  • Moondra Zubir Department of Chemistry, Faculty of Mathematics and Natural Sciences, Universitas Negeri Medan, Medan 20221, Indonesia
  • Sunita Karin Purba Department of Biology, Faculty of Mathematics and Natural Sciences, Medan State University, Medan 20221, Indonesia
  • Esti Miska Puandra Department of Biology, Faculty of Mathematics and Natural Sciences, Medan State University, Medan 20221, Indonesia
  • Nurdin Siregar Department of Physics, Faculty of Mathematics and Natural Sciences, Universitas Negeri Medan, Medan 20221, Indonesia

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.24114/ijcst.v8i2.70635

Keywords:

Electrical conductivity, Salt solutions, Organic compounds, Inorganic compounds, Ion mobility

Abstract

This study examines the effects of selected organic and inorganic compounds on the electrical conductivity of salt solutions. Organic substances (sugar, coffee, tea, and a surfactant-based cleaner) and inorganic additives (ammonium chloride in cough medicine, povidone–iodine, and carbonated beverage) were mixed with salt solutions at varying concentrations to evaluate their influence on ion availability and mobility. The results show that conductivity increases proportionally with salt concentration, confirming that ion content is the primary factor governing charge transport. Inorganic ionic additives significantly enhanced conductivity by releasing additional ions into the solution, whereas non-ionic organic compounds consistently reduced conductivity at low salt levels by diluting ionic species and hindering ion mobility. Conductivity in organic mixtures increased only when salt concentration became dominant. These findings highlight the contrasting mechanisms of organic and inorganic additives in modifying electrolyte behavior and provide useful insight for chemistry education and simple electrochemical analysis.

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Published

2025-08-29

Issue

Vol. 8 No. 2 (2025): JULY 2025

Section

Articles