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Dielectric Constant

  • Page ID
    39866
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    The dielectric constant (symbol: ε) of a solvent is a measure of its polarity. The higher the dielectric constant of a solvent, the more polar it is.

    eg:

    dielectricconstant1.png

    The dipole moment of water is higher than that of methanol; water is more polar than methanol. One practical consequence is a covalent solute dissociates into ions to a greater extent in water than in methanol.

    dielectricconstant2.png

    equilibrium constant for dissociation of MX : Kdis

    dielectricconstant3.png


    This page titled Dielectric Constant is shared under a All Rights Reserved (used with permission) license and was authored, remixed, and/or curated by Gamini Gunawardena via source content that was edited to the style and standards of the LibreTexts platform; a detailed edit history is available upon request.

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