Why is sodium chloride soluble in water?

Answer 1

sodium chloride and water each have dipole moments...they are polar. Like dissolves like. Furthermore, sodium and chloride will then split into their respective anion and cation portions (Cl- and Na+) which are even more soluble because of their ability to associate with water's dipole moment.

Answer 2

Is Sodium Chloride Soluble

Answer 3

Sodium chloride does not exist as separate molecules - it is a 3D lattice of sodium and chloride ions held together by their mutual attraction.
Water is a dipolar molecule - although it is H - O - H, the larger oxygen atom draws the electrons closer to it, hence the O region is slightly negative (remember it looks like a drawn out V shape with a bond angle about 106 degrees from memory), and each H end is slightly negative.
These slightly charged regions on the water molecule are enough to draw the sodium and chloride ions out of their lattice.

btw - no other molecules are formed, despite what you may have been told - all you end up with is water with sodium and chloride ions swimming in a sea of water (sea water - get it?)

Answer 4

Water has a high dielectric coefficient (near80).
NaCl is made of 2 ions Cl- and Na+

The electrostatic strength between these 2 ions is inversely proportional to the dielectric constant. So ,the forces between the 2 ions is in water 80 times less than in air.

This weakening is sufficient to let the ions dissociate and the salt solubles in water dissociating

Answer 5

this is because water is a polar solvent which has the ability to split the ions in combined state,so NaCl which is a electrovalent compound when dissolved in water gets splits into Na+ and Cl- ions. so it is soluble in water.

Answer 6

you do know that sodium chloride is salt? salt water? tehre's your answer...

Answer 7

because the H+ disassociates the Cl- from the Na+ to form HCl and then the (Na+)2 combines with the O- to form Na2O