How would you describe the action of salt dissolving in water?

Answer 1

Im assuming your talking about common table salt where its chemical composition is NaCl (sodium chloride). Its important to note that in a sodium chloride crystal, sodium ions (Na+) and Chloride ions (Cl-) are fixed in the crystal lattice. When you place NaCl in water there are ion-dipole interactions between water and NaCl and in this process the ions Na+ and Cl- are broken from the crystal lattice

so this process is a physical change (no new substances were formed) and it is known as the Dissociation of NaCl

Answer 2

Salt is held in a regular shaped lattice when it is a solid. A small crystal of salt, which you can see with the naked eye, has a regular shape,usually cubic. This visual inspection of a crystal reflects the regular lattice structure of the salt.

When it is put into water, the action of lone pairs of electrons on waters' oxygen molecules breaks down the lattice. Also water is in an equilibrium state :
H+ (aq) + OH-(aq) = H2O
The 'H+' and the 'OH-' can also attack the crystal. The 'H+' attack the more negative regions of the crystal and the 'OH-' attack the more positive regions of the crystal. So the component atoms/ions in a salt are separated from the lattice. These ions then move around in water in an irregular manner.

Answer 3

There are three important words in this connection - Solvent, Solute and Solution.
Solvent is a matter in which Solute is dissolved to prepare Solution. When a salt or any matter dissolves in solvent - it is dissociated into smallest possible particles. If the size of these particles is smaller then or equal to the volume available between the particles of solvent - it is accommodated in this space and forms a real solution. In many cases - particularly in Inorganic compounds - salts dissociates into ions, and ions have smaller volume compared to substance, so it will accommodated easily in the space available and form a clear solution.

Answer 4

I'm getting WELL fed up of people confusing dissociation with ionisation.
People, dissociation does NOT mean ionisation. For something to dissociate (like salt in water) it ALREADY exists as ions...dissociation is just when the charges separate.
Ionisation is adding or removing an electron to/from a neutral atom. See the difference??

Answer 5

As some one above said-- NaCl dissociates into Na+ and Cl- ions in water. These ions become a part of the solution --and occupy the intermolecular spaces within the water.

hence we can call it an ionisation reaction

Answer 6

erm.....dissolving?