Question 29

What properties of water make it useful as a solvent? What types of compound can it (i) dissolve, and (ii) hydrolyse?

Answer

A high value of dielectric constants (78.39 C2/Nm2) and dipole moment make water a universal solvent.



Water is able to dissolve most ionic and covalent compounds. Ionic compounds dissolve in water because of the ion-dipole interaction, whereas covalent compounds form hydrogen bonding and dissolve in water.

Water can hydrolyze metallic and non-metallic oxides, hydrides, carbides, phosphides, nitrides and various other salts. During hydrolysis, H+ and OH- ions of water interact with the reacting molecule.

Some reactions are:

CaO  +  H2O  →  Ca(OH)2

NaH  +  H2O →  NaOH + H2

CaC2  + H2O → C2H2 +  Ca(OH)2

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