Water as a Solvent
The partial charge that develops across the water molecule helps make it an excellent solvent. Water dissolves many substances by surrounding charged particles and "pulling" them into solution. For example, common table salt, sodium chloride, is an ionic substance that contains alternating sodium and chlorine ions.
Sodium chloride contains Na+ and Cl- ions.
When table salt is added to water, the partial charges on the water molecule are attracted to the Na+ and Cl- ions. The water molecules work their way into the crystal structure and between the individual ions, surrounding them and slowly dissolving the salt. The water molecules will actually line up differently depending on which ions are being pulled into solution. The negative oxygen ends of water molecules will surround the positive sodium ions; the positive hydrogen ends will surround the negative chlorine ions...
2007-07-29 04:15:21
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answer #1
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answered by Anonymous
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Very few things do not dissolve in anything.
Almost every thing dissolves in the water to some extent. Water is considered universal solvent.
They (NaCl crystals) are soluble in the water.
Other answers points to(explains to some extent) the chemistry and mechanism behind the solubility of a substance in a solvent.
2007-07-29 11:16:17
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answer #2
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answered by minootoo 7
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Water is a Universal Solvent, and particularly it can dissolve most salts in small or large quantities depending on size and charge on molecules or ions. Sodium Chloride is a ionic salt. It dissociates in water as Na+ ions and Cl-ions. Size of these ions are enough small to accommodate them self between the molecules of water.
The partial charge across the water molecule (OH- ions and H3O+ ions) helps make it an excellent solvent. Water dissolves many substances by surrounding charged particles and "pulling" them into solution. The water molecules actually line up differently depending on which ions are being pulled into solution. The negative oxygen ends of water molecules will surround the positive sodium ions; the positive hydronium ends will surround the negative chlorine ions, and this helps in dissolving the Salt into water.
2007-07-30 01:58:17
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answer #3
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answered by Abhijit Purohit 4
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NaCl has low Lattice Energy, hence it dissolves in a polar solvent like water well
2007-08-02 09:43:48
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answer #4
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answered by sushobhan 6
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in short:
energy of solvation of Na+ and Cl- ions is greater then the energy of the crystal lattice fo solid NaCl
So NaCl is soluble in water.
2007-07-29 12:58:10
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answer #5
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answered by scientific_boy3434 5
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"In the process of dissolving, molecules of the solute are inserted into a solvent and surrounded by its molecules. In order for the process to tak place, molecular bonds between molecules of solute (ie. sugar) have to be broken and molecular bonds of the solvent also have to be disrupted. Both of these require energy."
Because water is polar, salts dissolve in it very easily.
2007-07-29 11:17:24
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answer #6
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answered by kt 7
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