Arrhenius weak electrolytes

In a paper on the dissociation of electrolytes in aqueous solution, Arrhenius presented data on a wide variety of solutes including materials we would class as non-electrolytes, strong electrolytes, and weak electrolytes. This exercise focuses on weak electrolytes. Arrhenius presented data on the dissociation ratio (α) of several solutions, all containing 10. g solute in one liter of water. The dissociation ratio is the ratio of dissociated solute molecules to total molecules of the solute (i.e., dissociated plus undissociated). It was determined from electrical conductance measurements.
substanceformulaα
sulfurous acidH2SO30.14
oxalic acid(COOH)20.25
butyric acidC3H7COOH0.01
ammoniaNH30.01
Use these data to compute the equilibrium constant (Kb or Ka) of each weak acid or weak base. (Sulfurous and oxalic are dibasic acids. Assume that only the first hydrogen ion comes off.)

Reference

Svante Arrhenius, "On the Dissociation of Substances Dissolved in Water," Zeitschrift für physikalische Chemie 1, 631-48 (1887)
Copyright 2003 by Carmen Giunta. Permission is granted to reproduce for non-commercial educational purposes.

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