Final answer:
Sucrose is highly soluble in water due to hydrogen bonding between the hydroxyl groups in sucrose and water molecules. This intermolecular force is a type of strong dipole-dipole attraction that facilitates the dissolution process, adhering to the principle that 'like dissolves like.'
Step-by-step explanation:
The solubility of sucrose in water is primarily due to hydrogen bonding. Sucrose has many -OH (hydroxyl) groups in its molecular structure, which can form hydrogen bonds with water molecules. These intermolecular forces are very strong dipole-dipole interactions that occur when a hydrogen atom bonded to a highly electronegative atom such as oxygen (in water) is attracted to another electronegative atom in a neighboring molecule (the -OH groups in sucrose). Since both sucrose and water are polar substances, they adhere to the 'like dissolves like' rule, which predicts their compatibility as solute and solvent.
When sucrose dissolves in water, each sugar molecule is surrounded by water molecules, which disrupt the intermolecular attractive forces between the sucrose molecules, allowing it to integrate into the solution. Not only does this interaction explain the solubility of sucrose in water, but it also elucidates the general principle that polar solvents like water are particularly adept at dissolving other polar substances, such as those with numerous OH groups capable of forming hydrogen bonds.