How does table salt (NaCl) dissolve in water?
A. Water molecules hydrogen bond with sodium ions and chloride ions.
B. Each sodium ion is surrounded by chloride ions.
C. Each NaCl molecule is surrounded by water molecules.
D. The oxygen atoms in water molecules attract sodium ions.
I don't like any of the answers but the best one here is A. NaCl dissolves in water because the NaCl crystal is surrounded by H2O molecules with the O end attracted to the Na ion and the H end attracted to the Cl ion. That attraction breaks the lattice energy of the NaCl crystal.
To understand how table salt (NaCl) dissolves in water, we need to consider the interactions between the NaCl molecules and water molecules.
When NaCl is added to water, the polar water molecules interact with the ions in NaCl, which are sodium ions (Na+) and chloride ions (Cl-). These interactions lead to the dissociation of NaCl into its constituent ions.
The correct choice that explains how table salt dissolves in water is C. Each NaCl molecule is surrounded by water molecules.
Water is a polar molecule, meaning it has a partial positive charge on one end (the hydrogen atom) and a partial negative charge on the other end (the oxygen atom). This polarity allows water molecules to interact with the ions in NaCl.
When NaCl is added to water, the slightly negative oxygen atoms in water molecules are attracted to the positively charged sodium ions (Na+), and the slightly positive hydrogen atoms are attracted to the negatively charged chloride ions (Cl-). As a result, the water molecules surround each NaCl molecule, separating the sodium and chloride ions from each other.
During this process, the water molecules effectively "pull apart" the NaCl molecules, breaking the ionic bonds between the sodium and chloride ions. This results in the dissociation of NaCl into its individual Na+ and Cl- ions, which become dispersed throughout the solution.
So, in summary, table salt (NaCl) dissolves in water because each NaCl molecule is surrounded by water molecules, causing the Na+ and Cl- ions to become separated and dispersed throughout the solution.