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Chapter 5, Lesson 3 Multimedia

Sodium Chloride Crystal

A cubic salt crystal composed of sodium and chloride ions.
  • The Larger green spheres represent the negative chloride ions.
  • The smaller gray spheres represent the positive sodium ions.

Sodium Chloride Dissolving in Water

A crystal of sodium chloride.Water with its areas of slight positive and negative charge, is attracted to the component ions of the sodium choride crystal and begins to pull ions away one by one. Water further pulls apart the sodium chloride crystal. Very little of the original crystal remains. The ions that once composed the sodium chloride crystal are now totally solvated by water molecules and spread very far apart. No part of the original crystal is visible.
  • The positive area of the water molecules surround the negative Chloride ions.
  • The negative area of the water molecules surround the positive sodium ions.
  • As the attractions from the water molecules and their motion pulls the ions apart, the sodium chloride crystal dissolves.

Sodium Chloride Dissolving in Water II

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  • The positive area of the water molecules surround the negative Chloride ions.
  • The negative area of the water molecules surround the positive sodium ions.
  • As the attractions from the water molecules and their motion pulls the ions apart, the sodium chloride crystal dissolves. This video appears courtesy of Roy Tasker.
    © Roy Tasker, VisChem Project.