Chapter 16, Problem 5RAT

Why is sodium chloride, NaCl, insoluble in gasoline? Consider the electrical attractions.

1. (a) Because this molecule is so small, there is not much opportunity for the gasoline to interact with it through any electrical attraction.
2. (b) Because gasoline is a very polar molecule, the salt car form only dipole-induced dipole bonds, which are very weak, giving it a low solubility in gasoline.
3. (c) Because gasoline is so strongly attracted to itself, the salt, NaCl, is excluded.
4. (d) Salt is composed of ions that are too attracted to themselves. Gasoline is nonpolar, so salt and gasoline will not interact very well.