A theory providing quantitative results for the conductivity of ions in dilute solutions of strong electrolytes, which enables the Kohlrausch equation to be derived. This theory can be stated as: K = A + BΛ0m, where Λ0m is the limiting molar conductivity.
where z is the charge of an ion, e is the charge of an electron, F is Faraday’s constant, η is the viscosity of the liquid, R is the gas constant, T is the thermodynamic temperature, and q = 0.586 in the case of a 1,1 electrolyte. The Debye–Hückel–Onsager theory uses almost the same assumptions and approximations as the Debye–Hückel theory and is also limited to very dilute solutions (usually less than 10−3 M) for which there is good agreement between theory and experiment. The modifications were made by the Norwegian-born US chemist Lars Onsager (1903–76) in 1926–27.