Question

Two students were having the following conversation: "Hey this sodium chloride does not have strong attractive forces because it causes water to boil faster." The other student says, "No, sodium chloride does because it has a boiling point of 1465°C." Explain which student is correct.

A) Student one since they state that the water boiled faster and the salt changed how the water acted.
B) Student two because a high boiling point means the particles are held together by a stronger attractive force.
C) Student two because they provided evidence to help them explain what they were trying to say about the sodium chloride.
D) Student one since adding salt made the water lower its boiling point and a lower boiling point means the particles are not held together well.

Answer 1

Student two is correct because a high boiling point means the particles are held together by a stronger attractive force.

Step-by-step explanation:

Student two is correct because a high boiling point means the particles are held together by a stronger attractive force. Electrostatic interactions are strongest for an ionic compound like sodium chloride, so we expect it to have a high boiling point. This is because the positively charged sodium ions attract the oxygen end of the water molecules, and the negatively charged chloride ions attract the hydrogen end of the water molecules, causing the crystal lattice of sodium chloride to break apart. Adding salt to water does not make it boil faster. In fact, it actually raises the boiling point and slows down the boiling process.