Final answer:
The correct option is A.
Water is a good solvent for polar and ionic compounds because it is a polar molecule with slight positive and negative charges that can form hydrogen bonds with the charged particles, leading to the formation of hydration shells around the ions.
Step-by-step explanation:
Water is a good solvent for polar and ionic compounds primarily because water is a polar molecule. This polarity means that water has slight positive and negative charges which allow it to form hydrogen bonds with charged particles, like those found in ionic and polar molecules.
When a substance like table salt (NaCl) is dissolved in water, the sodium and chloride ions dissociate and become surrounded by water molecules — this is known as forming a sphere of hydration or hydration shell.
The oxygen atoms in water molecules, which carry a partial negative charge, are attracted to the positively charged sodium ions, while the partially positively charged hydrogen atoms in water molecules are attracted to the negatively charged chloride ions. These interactions enable the dissolution of ionic compounds in water, making it an effective solvent.