Chemistry / Unit 8 Chem 1520 short lesson, about 20 seconds
The Dissolution Process
Captions available
The idea
Dissolving a solute means replacing solute-solute and solvent-solvent attractions with new solute-solvent attractions, favorable only when those can compete.
In practice
Table salt dissolves in water because strong ion-dipole attractions to Na+ and Cl- compete successfully against the ionic lattice.
Where people slip
Dissolution is a competition between old and new attractions, not passive mixing — some pairs never form a stable solution.
Your place on the trail
Every lesson rests on earlier ones and opens later ones. Tap any to jump.
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