Final answer:
The dissolution of sugar in water is primarily due to the intermolecular force between water molecules. This is because water forms hydrogen bonds with sugar molecules, breaking up their attractive forces and allowing them to dissolve in water.
Step-by-step explanation:
The correct answer to the question of what contributes to the dissolution of sugar in water, given that options a and d have been ruled out, is c. a strong pull of water molecules on an ionic compound. Although sugar (sucrose) is not an ionic compound, this option is the closest to the correct explanation for the dissolution process.
Sucrose is a polar covalent compound that dissolves in water through intermolecular attractions, specifically hydrogen bonding and dipole-dipole interactions between the water molecules and the polar groups within the sugar molecule.
Water is a highly polar solvent with a significant dipole moment, allowing it to interact strongly with polar substances, including the hydrophilic regions of the sugar molecule. The hydrogen bonds formed between the hydrogen atoms in water and the oxygen atoms in sugar are a key factor in the dissolution process.
These attractions disrupt the intermolecular forces holding the sugar molecules together in the solid state, leading to their dispersion in the water.