What is the type of intermolecular attraction that occurs between the sodium ions and the water molecules?

1 Answer
anor277
Jan 19, 2017

This is an "ion-dipole" interaction.

Explanation:

When sodium chloride dissolves in water, we represent the reaction in this way:

NaCl(s) + "excess water"rarrNa^(+)(aq) + Cl^(-)(aq)

The Na^+(aq) species is the aquated sodium ion, which is probably [Na{(OH)_2}_6]^+; the Cl^(-)(aq) ion is something similar. This is quite properly regarded as a chemical reaction in that strong bonds have been broken, and new ion-dipole bonds and new substances have been formed.

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