Foundation reading 15 of 17 · ~4 min
Picture dissolved ions
Your goal: Interpret an aqueous ionic compound as separated, hydrated ions.
A focused reading from Solubility Rules and Precipitation Reactions. Reading time is a Chem Help estimate.
Optional prerequisite review
- Describe solution concentration
- Read physical-state symbols
- Ions and chemical formulas — foundation lesson missing
Review if useful. These suggestions never lock a step.
What dissolving really means
An ionic compound labelled (aq) is not floating around as intact formula units. It has dissociated, so each cation and anion is surrounded by water molecules and moves independently.
A bottle labelled NaCl(aq) genuinely contains Na⁺ ions and Cl⁻ ions, in equal numbers but with no attachment to each other.
NaCl(s) → Na⁺(aq) + Cl⁻(aq)
Writing (aq) after a soluble ionic compound is shorthand for separated, hydrated ions.
Sources and further reading
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