Question

Sodium chloride (NaCl) is an ionic solid. It dissolves easily in water. Which property of water allows it to dissolve NaCl? Water has a high specific heat. Water contains oxygen. Water has surface tension. Water is a polar molecule.

Answer 1

Answer:

Water is a polar molecule

Explanation:

The general solubility rule is that like dissolves like. In short, polar solutes would dissolve in polar solvents. Non polar solutes also dissolves on non polar solvents.

NaCl is an ionic molecule which forms as a result of transfer of electrons from one atom to another. The transfer of electrons makes the atoms oppositely a charged ions and they become polar.

Water is made up of Hydrogen H⁺ ions and hydroxy ions OH⁻. Water is an heteronuclear covalent molecule. Here, there is an unequal sharing of electrons as one atom pulls the shared electron more closer. This leaves a partial negative charge on the more electronegative atom and a partial positive charge on the other.

This polar nature of water NaCl makes dissolution easy.