Question

Calcium chloride salt when put into water (solvent) is separated into Calcium(++) and Chloride (-) ions. Oxygen, on the other hand, is still present in water as oxygen (O2). How can this phenomenon be explained?

Answer 1

The phenomenon can be explained by the concept of ionic dissociation in water. When calcium chloride (CaCl2) is added to water, the strong electrostatic forces between the water molecules (H2O) and the ions in the salt (Ca²⁺ and 2Cl⁻) cause the salt to dissociate into its constituent ions. Calcium ions (Ca²⁺) are attracted to the negatively charged oxygen atoms in water molecules, while chloride ions (Cl⁻) are attracted to the positively charged hydrogen atoms, leading to the separation of the ions. Meanwhile, molecular oxygen (O2) remains in its molecular form because it is not as strongly attracted to the water molecules and does not ionize in the same way as calcium chloride.

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