On dilution, the degree of dissociation of acetic acid will……………

Answer

To solve the question regarding the effect of dilution on the degree of dissociation of acetic acid, we can follow these steps:

### Step-by-Step Solution:

1. **Understanding Acetic Acid as a Weak Acid**:
Acetic acid (CH₃COOH) is a weak acid, which means it does not fully dissociate in solution. It establishes an equilibrium between the undissociated acid and its ions (H⁺ and CH₃COO⁻).

2. **Establishing the Equilibrium**:
The dissociation of acetic acid can be represented as:
\[ \text{CH}_3\text{COOH} \rightleftharpoons \text{H}^+ + \text{CH}_3\text{COO}^- \]
At equilibrium, we can define the degree of dissociation (α) as the fraction of the original acetic acid that has dissociated.

3. **Using Ostwald's Dilution Law**:
According to Ostwald's dilution law, the degree of dissociation (α) of a weak acid is related to its concentration (C) and its dissociation constant (Kₐ):
\[ K_a = \frac{C \alpha^2}{1 - \alpha} \]
For weak acids, when α is small (which is true for weak acids), we can simplify this to:
\[ K_a \approx C \alpha^2 \]

4. **Solving for α**:
Rearranging the equation gives us:
\[ \alpha = \sqrt{\frac{K_a}{C}} \]

5. **Effect of Dilution**:
When we dilute the acetic acid, the concentration (C) decreases. As C decreases, the expression for α shows that:
\[ \alpha = \sqrt{\frac{K_a}{C}} \]
Since Kₐ is a constant, if C decreases, α must increase because the square root of a fraction with a smaller denominator is larger.

6. **Conclusion**:
Therefore, upon dilution, the degree of dissociation (α) of acetic acid increases.

### Final Answer:
On dilution, the degree of dissociation of acetic acid will **increase**.