Why does salt dissolve in water?
Chemical bonding describes how atoms are held together through interactions involving electrons and nuclei. Ionic, covalent and metallic models highlight different limiting behaviours rather than three completely isolated worlds.
The short answer
Chemical bonding describes how atoms are held together through interactions involving electrons and nuclei. Ionic, covalent and metallic models highlight different limiting behaviours rather than three completely isolated worlds.
What is really happening?
Chemical bonding describes how atoms are held together through interactions involving electrons and nuclei. Ionic, covalent and metallic models highlight different limiting behaviours rather than three completely isolated worlds.
The useful question is not only “what bond is this?” but “what does this model help predict?”
An ion is an atom or molecular entity carrying a net electric charge because its numbers of protons and electrons are not balanced.
A useful mental picture
Table salt separates into ions in water because polar water molecules can stabilize charged particles. The crystal does not simply 'vanish': its ions become dispersed through the liquid.