What types of intermolecular forces allow CO2 to dissolve in water? Do CO2 and H20 have a relatively strong or weak attraction?
They do react together to form H2CO3 but not to a large extent. The solubility is small.
Although CO2 is not a polar molecule (H2O is), the ends of CO2 (it's a linear molecule) are negatively charged and H2O molecules are attracted to it.
To understand the types of intermolecular forces that allow CO2 to dissolve in water, we need to consider the properties of both CO2 and H2O molecules.
CO2 is nonpolar because it has a linear molecular geometry with two equal and opposite polar bonds, which cancels out the dipole moments. On the other hand, water (H2O) is a polar molecule due to its bent molecular geometry and the electronegativity difference between hydrogen and oxygen atoms.
When CO2 dissolves in water, it undergoes a process called hydration or solvation. The dissolution occurs primarily due to the occurrence of two intermolecular forces: London dispersion forces (also called Van der Waals forces) and dipole-dipole interactions.
1. London dispersion forces: Despite being nonpolar, CO2 molecules can induce temporary dipoles in neighboring water molecules. These temporary dipoles result from the motion of electrons. This creates an attractive force between the CO2 and water molecules, allowing CO2 to dissolve in water.
2. Dipole-dipole interactions: Water molecules have permanent dipoles due to the unequal sharing of electrons between oxygen and hydrogen atoms. The positive hydrogen atom of water can attract the negative oxygen atom of CO2 through electrostatic interactions. This creates another attractive force between CO2 and water.
Regarding the relative strength of attraction between CO2 and H2O, the dipole-dipole interactions are stronger compared to the London dispersion forces in this case. Additionally, water can form hydrogen bonds with itself, which are stronger than dipole-dipole interactions. Consequently, the attraction between CO2 and H2O is relatively weak in comparison, but still significant enough for CO2 to dissolve in water.