Question

1. ionic compounds and polar molecules can both dissolve in water. which statement correctly describes what will occur when they dissolve?

both the ionic compound and the polar molecule will dissociate in water.
the polar molecule will dissociate, but the ionic compound will not.
neither the ionic compound nor the polar molecule will dissociate in water.
the ionic compound will dissociate, but the polar molecule will not.

Explanation:

To solve this, we recall the concepts of dissolution and dissociation:

• Ionic compounds (e.g., NaCl) dissociate into ions (Na⁺ and Cl⁻) when dissolved in water because water's polarity pulls the ions apart.
• Polar molecules (e.g., sugar, \( \text{C}_{12}\text{H}_{22}\text{O}_{11} \)) dissolve in water due to dipole - dipole interactions (water is polar), but they do not dissociate into ions. Polar molecules remain as intact molecules in solution.

Now let's analyze each option:

• Option 1: "Both the ionic compound and the polar molecule will dissociate in water." → Incorrect. Polar molecules do not dissociate.
• Option 2: "The polar molecule will dissociate, but the ionic compound will not." → Incorrect. Ionic compounds dissociate, polar molecules do not.
• Option 3: "Neither the ionic compound nor the polar molecule will dissociate in water." → Incorrect. Ionic compounds do dissociate.
• Option 4: "The ionic compound will dissociate, but the polar molecule will not." → Correct. This matches our understanding of the behavior of ionic compounds and polar molecules in water.

Answer:

The ionic compound will dissociate, but the polar molecule will not.