Like Dissolve Like

Principle of “Like Dissolves Like”

• Polar solvents like water dissolve polar solutes while non-polar solvents like hexane dissolve non-polar solutes.​

Understanding Solvents and Solutes

• Water is identified as a polar molecule, with a positive end and a negative end due to the uneven distribution of electrons between oxygen and hydrogen atoms.

• Hexane is described as a non-polar solvent made up of carbon and hydrogen, lacking a positive or negative end, which differentiates it from polar molecules.

Interactions with Ionic Compounds

• Water can dissolve ionic compounds (like salt, sodium chloride), with the polar ends of the water molecules attracting the charged ions and allowing them to disperse.

• Iodine dissolves in hexane immediately, while the iodine remains undissolved in water, reflecting its non-polar nature.

• Copper(II) chloride dissolves in water, but not in hexane, reiterating the concept of polarity affecting solubility.

Practical Demonstrations of Solubility

• Copper(II) chloride is visibly settling at the bottom of hexane, indicating it does not dissolve, in contrast to its dissolution in water.