Answer – A molecule of water dissociates into one hydrogen ion (H+) and one hydroxide (OH–) ion.
Explanation:
A dissociation reaction is one in which a molecule breaks down into smaller particles. It is usually a reversible reaction.
When a water (H2O) molecule undergoes dissociation, it ionizes. One of the hydrogen atoms gives up an electron and detaches from the rest of the molecule. This results in a positively charged hydrogen (H+) ion and a negatively charged hydroxide (OH–) ion.
H2O (l) H+ (aq) + OH– (aq)
However, the hydrogen ion doesn’t remain unattached for long. It almost immediately bonds with the oxygen of an unionized molecule of water to form a new ion – hydronium (H3O+). Thus, the dissociation reaction for water is actually as follows:
H2O (l) H3O+ (aq) + OH– (aq)
Thus, the products of the dissociation of water are a conjugate acid (hydronium) and a conjugate base (hydroxide).
