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What properties of water make it useful as a solvent ? What type of compounds can it (i) dissolve (ii) hydrolyse ? |
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Answer» Solution :(i) Waterhas a high dielectric constant(79.39) and high DIPOLE moment (1.84D) . Because of these properties, water dissolves most of the inorganic (ionic) compounds and MANY covalent compounds. That is why water is called a UNIVERSAL solvent. Whereas ionic compounds dissolve in water due to iondipole interaction or solvation of ions, covalentcompounds such as alcohols, amines, urea, glucose, sugar, etc. dissolve in water due to H-bonding. (ii) Water can hydrolyse many oxides (metallic or non-metallic ), hydrides, carbides, nitrides, phosphides and other salts. In these reactions , `H^(+)` and `OH^(-)` ions of water interact with anions and cations respectivity leading to the formation of an acid or a base or both as shown below : `CaO(s) +H_(2)O(l) to Ca(OH)_(2)(aq)` `SO_(2)(g) + H_(2)O (l) to H_(2)SO_(3)(aq)` `CaH_(2)(s) + 2H_(2)O (l) to Ca(OH)_(2)(aq) + 2H_(2) (g)` `CaC_(2)(s) + 2H_(2)O (l) to Ca(OH)_(2)(aq) + UNDERSET("Acetylene")(HC -=CH(g))` |
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