For solution of substances which ionize in solution the activity coefficients of the cation and anion cannot be experimentally determined independently of each other because solution properties depend on both ions. Single ion activity coefficients must be linked to the activity coefficient of the dissolved electrolyte as if undissociated. In this case a mean stoichiometric activity coefficient of the dissolved electrolyte, γ, is used. It is called stoichiometric because it expresses both the deviation from the ideality of the solution and the incomplete ionic dissociation of the ionic compound which occurs especially with the increase of its concentration.
For a 1:1 electrolyte, such as NaCl it is given by the following:
where  and  are the activity coefficients of the cation and anion respectively. 
More generally, the mean activity coefficient of a compound of formula  is given by
Single-ion activity coefficients can be calculated theoretically, for example by using the Debye–Hückel equation. The theoretical equation can be tested by combining the calculated single-ion activity coefficients to give mean values which can be compared to experimental values.
The prevailing view that single ion activity coefficients are unmeasurable independently, or perhaps even physically meaningless, has its roots in the work of Guggenheim in the late 1920s. However, chemists have never been able to give up the idea of single ion activities, and by implication single ion activity coefficients. For example, pH is defined as the negative logarithm of the hydrogen ion activity. If the prevailing view on the physical meaning and measurability of single ion activities is correct then defining pH as the negative logarithm of the hydrogen ion activity places the quantity squarely in the unmeasurable category. Recognizing this logical difficulty, International Union of Pure and Applied Chemistry (IUPAC) states that the activity-based definition of pH is a notional definition only. Despite the prevailing negative view on the measurability of single ion coefficients, the concept of single ion activities continues to be discussed in the literature, and at least one author presents a definition of single ion activity in terms of purely thermodynamic quantities and proposes a method of measuring single ion activity coefficients based on purely thermodynamic processes.