Question

1) When chromium chloride, CrCl2, is dissolved in water, the temperature of the water decreases. a) Is the heat of solution exothermic or endothermic? b) Which is stronger—the attractive forces between water molecules and chromium and chloride ions, or the combined ionic bond strength of CrCl2 and intermolecular forces between water molecules? Explain.

Answer 1

Answer:

Explanation:  It has been given that the temperature of the water decreases when chromium chloride is dissolved in water. Thus fall in the temperature explains the fact that the bond energies of the reactants have more energy rather than the products.

a) Thus the heat of the solution is endothermic in nature as more energy is needed to break the reactant molecules.

b) The combined ionic bond strength of CrCl2 and inter molecular forces between water molecules must be stronger than the attractive forces between the  water molecules and chromium and chloride ions as the reaction is endothermic in nature thus more energy would be required to break the bonds between the reactants hence making them more stronger.