Ionic Compounds
For ionic compounds, dissolution takes place when the ionic lattice breaks up and the separate ions are then solvated. This most commonly occurs in polar solvents, such as water or ammonia.
- NaCl(s) → Na+(aq) + Cl-(aq)
In a colloidal dispersed system, small dispersed particles of the ionic lattice exist in equilibrium with the saturated solution of the ions, i.e.
- NaCl(aq) Na+(aq) + Cl-(aq)
The behavior of this system is characterised by the activity coefficients of the components and the solubility product, defined as:
The ability of an ion to preferentially dissolve (as a result of unequal activities) is classified as the Potential Determining Ion. This in turn results in the remaining particle possessing either a net positive/negative surface charge.
Read more about this topic: Dissolution (chemistry)
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