Why are polar solutes more soluble in polar solvents?
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To understand this, you'd need to look at it from a molecular level. Polar molecules are basically charged bonds, i.e. one end of which has more positive charge density while the other will have negative. Non-polar, on the contrary, would be pretty much uniformly distributed in charge.
Now that you know polar molecules and non-polar ones, it is quite obvious why the dissolution will be of like nature. If the solvent bulk is polar, it is going to have what is known as a charge dispersion, which as I mentioned, is the concentration of positive charge on one side of the bond, and negative on the other. Thus because of electrostatic forces, the charged ends will attract other (oppositely charged) molecules-or parts thereof (called ions). That is the trick to dissolution. When you add a polar solute in a solvent, they disintegrate into ions because of this charge dispersion that is prevalent everywhere in the solvent. Now since non polar solvents do not have this tendency of dissociating into ions, there is no way they can be electrostatically attracted by the polar charges- hence no dissolution. Are we clear so far?
Let's take the opposite case now. Polar solute in a non-polar solvent. Now although it is possible for the solute to dissociate into ions, the absence of charge dispersion in the entire solvent makes them go all MEH. Since there is no attraction that exists, the polar solute molecules are not forced into ion dissociation and remain intact- therefore undissolved.
Now that you know polar molecules and non-polar ones, it is quite obvious why the dissolution will be of like nature. If the solvent bulk is polar, it is going to have what is known as a charge dispersion, which as I mentioned, is the concentration of positive charge on one side of the bond, and negative on the other. Thus because of electrostatic forces, the charged ends will attract other (oppositely charged) molecules-or parts thereof (called ions). That is the trick to dissolution. When you add a polar solute in a solvent, they disintegrate into ions because of this charge dispersion that is prevalent everywhere in the solvent. Now since non polar solvents do not have this tendency of dissociating into ions, there is no way they can be electrostatically attracted by the polar charges- hence no dissolution. Are we clear so far?
Let's take the opposite case now. Polar solute in a non-polar solvent. Now although it is possible for the solute to dissociate into ions, the absence of charge dispersion in the entire solvent makes them go all MEH. Since there is no attraction that exists, the polar solute molecules are not forced into ion dissociation and remain intact- therefore undissolved.
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