What does the solubility of KNO3 depend on?
1 Answer
This is to do with the fact that
Ionic compounds dissolve in water and covalent compounds do not. The best example of this is NaCl (Sodium Chloride: table salt) - this is an ionic salt and dissolves readily in water. A covalent compound such as sand (Silicon Dioxide:
This happens because the dipole water molecules attract the positive and negative ions and split them apart - in covalent compounds such as
On a side note: a dipole is a molecule or atom where there is a greater concentration of electrons in one area than another - this causes one side to be slightly positive and the other side to be slightly negative. For example, if you imagine a Helium atom (which has two electrons) - and both of the electrons are at the left side of the atom, the right side will have none. This causes the side with more electrons to have a slightly negative charge, and the side with less to have a slightly positive charge.
In the case of ionic breakdown, then, the positive side of the water molecules attracts the negative