solubility

[emmaferry2D]

does more covalent or ionic character make a molecule more soluble?

[Alexandra Ahlschlager 1L]

The more ionic character a molecule has, the more soluble it will be. I’m not too sure why that is though so maybe someone else can elaborate on this!

[KhanTran3K]

Hey!
Having more ionic character is going to allow for higher solubility due to the difference in electronegativity. Having a larger difference in electronegativity means that these electric charges can interact with the polar bonds from the H2O. For example, in NaCl, the Na+ ions can interact with the negative side of the H2O with the O, while the Cl- can interact with the positive side with the H. Feel free to correct me if I am wrong. Hope this helps!

[Irene Kim 3E]

Hey!
Having more ionic character is going to allow for higher solubility due to the difference in electronegativity. Having a larger difference in electronegativity means that these electric charges can interact with the polar bonds from the H2O. For example, in NaCl, the Na+ ions can interact with the negative side of the H2O with the O, while the Cl- can interact with the positive side with the H. Feel free to correct me if I am wrong. Hope this helps!

To add on to this, an ionic molecule that has a greater difference in electronegativity and thus more polarity also tends to be more hydrophilic, which is what makes a molecule more water-soluble. Since water itself is a polar molecule, it will tend to attract other molecules with higher polarity.

[Shreya Arcot 3K]

To be soluble, a molecule must have atoms with a high difference in electronegativity. Molecules with ionic character are thus more soluble, because atoms that form ionic bonds have very large electronegativity differences. For example, when dealing with molecule NaCl, this means that one atom (the Na in this case) is less electronegative than the Cl. That is why the Cl is able to steal the electron from Na, giving Na+ and Cl-.

When dissolving in water, the negative Cl- ion is attracted to the partial positive charge of the H atom, and the positive Na+ ion is attracted to the partial negative charge of the O atom.

That is why ionic character results in more solubility.

Note: Polar covalent molecules are also soluble in water, because of the large electronegativity differences in the atoms. This polarity also means the molecule is hydrophilic. Opposite partial charges attract each, and molecules dissolve.

[Emily Wan 1l]

Having more ionic character would entail for higher solubility. Only polar substances are able to dissolve in water. Ionic compounds are polar due to the differences in charge of the ions, while covalent bonds are non-polar and thus insoluble in water.

[Marilyn]

Ionic bonds have a difference in electronegativity. So they dissolve in water because of the polarity of H2O molecules. An easy way to remember this is to think of NaCl and how salts dissolve easily in water.

[805401611]

Typically, ionic characters are more soluble in water than covalent characters. This is because ionic characters are generally more made up of polar substances, compared to covalent characters, which are made up of more nonpolar substances. Hope that helps!