Final answer:
Water is an excellent solvent due to its polar nature, allowing ionic compounds and polar molecules to dissolve through the formation of hydrogen bonds and hydration shells around the dissociated ions.
Step-by-step explanation:
Water's ability to act as a solvent is one of its most important properties, crucial for life on Earth.
The polarity of the water molecule makes it an excellent solvent because it has slight positive and negative charges.
These properties allow water to interact with and dissolve ionic compounds and other polar molecules through the formation of hydrogen bonds.
When table salt (NaCl) is mixed with water, the sodium (Na+) and chloride (Cl-) ions dissociate in the water and become surrounded by water molecules—this is called the sphere of hydration or hydration shell.
The positive sodium ions are attracted to the negatively charged oxygen in the water molecules, while the negative chloride ions are attracted to the positively charged hydrogen atoms in water molecules.
This interaction helps keep the dissociated ions dispersed in the solution, ensuring that the salt is properly dissolved in water.