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Polar Solvents and Solubility

Polar molecules and ionic substances dissolve in polar solvents such as water because the molecules of the polar solvent attract the ions or polarised atoms and are able to form bonds with them. The covalent or ionic bonds break and the solvent molecules surround the ions and form ion-dipole bonds.When sodium chloride dissolves in water, the water molecules attract the Na+ and Cl- ions. The ionic lattice breaks down and the water molecules surround the Na+ and Cl- ions.

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Specification: OCR Chemistry A (H032), AS-level, 2.2.2 Bonding and structure. Topic: Shapes and Intermolecular Forces.

Key terms in this lesson

Ion
A positively or negatively charged atom or group of atoms, formed by the loss or gain of electrons.
Giant ionic lattice
A regular three-dimensional structure of oppositely charged ions held together by strong electrostatic forces extending throughout the structure.
Dipole
A separation of opposite partial charges caused by an uneven distribution of the bonding electron pair.

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