Question

Why are salt and gasoline insoluble?

1) Gasoline normally contains very little water.
2) Salt is much more dense than gasoline.
3) Gasoline molecules cannot interact with salt.
4) Salt ions are too attracted to themselves to interact significantly with nonpolar gasoline molecules.

Answer 1

Gasoline is nonpolar and cannot mix with polar water, while salt contains charged ions that can interact with water but not with nonpolar gasoline.

Step-by-step explanation:

Gasoline and salt are both insoluble in water due to their different molecular properties and interactions.

Gasoline is a nonpolar liquid, meaning it contains molecules with nonpolar covalent bonds. Water, on the other hand, is a polar molecule with a positive and negative end. The relatively weak attractive forces between the polar water molecules and the nonpolar gasoline molecules are not sufficient to overcome the stronger hydrogen bonding between water molecules. Therefore, gasoline and water do not mix and are considered immiscible.

Salt, such as sodium chloride (NaCl), is an ionic compound. It consists of positively charged sodium ions (Na+) and negatively charged chloride ions (Cl-). Water, being a polar molecule, can effectively interact with these ions through dipole-ion bonds. However, gasoline molecules do not have the necessary charges or polarity to interact with the charged ions in salt. Thus, salt and gasoline are insoluble.