Question

Why does salt dissolve in water but sand does not

Answer 1

Explanation:

Water is an excellent solvent because it forms very strong bonds (covalent). ... Salts will dissolve, the covalent bond of water "rips" the ionic bonds of the salts. Sand will not dissolve in water because the "bond" of water is not strong enough to dissolve the sand.

Answer 2

Answer:

Sand will not dissolve in water because the "bond" of water is not strong enough to dissolve the sand. However, some strong acids can dissolve sand. Dissolution will proceed faster in warmer water, because it has more room for the molecules of the salt to “fit” between the molecules of water.

Water can dissolve salt because the positive part of water molecules attracts the negative chloride ions and the negative part of water molecules attracts the positive sodium ion.