What types of intermolecular forces allow CO2 to dissolve in water? Do CO2 and H20 have a relatively strong or weak attraction?

Water is a dipole and the negative end of the H2O dipole is attracted by the O end of CO2 (although CO2 has no net dipole because of its symmetry). The bond between H2O and CO2 isn't very strong because a) H2CO3 is a weak acid and b)left out in the open (uncapped), a saturated solution of CO2 in water will go flat (think soft drink going flat).

what happens at the molecular level if the temperature of a CO2/H2O solution increases? I know that has the temp. goes up the solubility decreases, but i don't really know what that means.

At best the molecular bonding between water and CO2 is small. As the temperature is increased the molecules of both solvent and solute increase and the increased activity of the molecules is enough to lessen those already weak bonds; therefore, the solubility of the gas is less in hot water than in cold water

Thanks so much for the help.

The intermolecular forces that allow CO2 to dissolve in water are London dispersion forces and dipole-dipole interactions.

When CO2 dissolves in water, it forms carbonic acid (H2CO3) through a series of sequential reactions. This process involves the attraction between water molecules (H2O) and CO2 molecules.

CO2 is a nonpolar molecule, meaning it does not have a permanent dipole moment. However, when CO2 dissolves in water, it can induce temporary dipoles in both the CO2 and water molecules. These temporary dipoles create London dispersion forces between the molecules, which are relatively weak compared to other intermolecular forces.

In addition to London dispersion forces, there are dipole-dipole interactions between CO2 and water. Water is a polar molecule with a bent shape, resulting in a permanent dipole moment. The positively charged hydrogen atoms in water form weak attractions with the negatively charged carbon and oxygen atoms in CO2. These dipole-dipole interactions also contribute to the dissolution of CO2 in water.

Overall, the attraction between CO2 and H2O is relatively weak. It is important to note that the solubility of CO2 in water is influenced by factors such as temperature, pressure, and pH. However, the intermolecular forces involved in CO2 dissolving in water are predominantly London dispersion forces and dipole-dipole interactions.