Why are metallic compounds insoluble in water?

The ability to be dissolved or the “solubility” of a substance really depend on two things: The polarity of the (water) and the amount of energy it takes to break the intermolecular forces of the (the metal or other substance). Because it takes a lot of energy to break metallic bonds, metal is insoluble in water.

Water molecules are polar, meaning they have a small, unbalanced charge associated with the atoms (H’s and O) due to unfair sharing of electrons. Oxygen has the capability to tug more on the shared electrons (-) between it and hydrogen causing oxygen to have a partially negative charge and hydrogen to have a partially positive charge. We say a molecule that has this type of opposite partial charges has a dipole (two poles; + and -) and we say that the molecule itself is polar.

Solubility basically works on the concept of attraction. Because water molecules essentially have ends that are charged the molecules can attract other charged particles, attack, and rip partner molecules off of one another. Of course this attack would only work if the weak partial charge attractions from water molecules were stronger then the forces that hold molecules with other molecules (the intermolecular forces). Table salt and sugar have weak intermolecular forces and are soluble in water.

Metallic bonds are held together by very strong intermolecular forces. You can imagine all the nuclei of the metal atoms sitting really close together and freely sharing their elections with one another almost like electrons are flowing around them like particles in a sea. (incidentally this free flowing ability of elections allow metals to be great conductors of electricity). Polar water bonds do not have the strength to remove these intermolecular attractions and therefore, metals are insoluble in water.

Of course, however, anything breaks down over time, but we can thank for that.

Show more







Calculate Your Essay Price
(550 words)

Approximate price: $22

Calculate the price of your order

550 words
We'll send you the first draft for approval by September 11, 2018 at 10:52 AM
Total price:
$26
The price is based on these factors:
Academic level
Number of pages
Urgency
Basic features
  • Free title page and bibliography
  • Unlimited revisions
  • Plagiarism-free guarantee
  • Money-back guarantee
  • 24/7 support
On-demand options
  • Writer’s samples
  • Part-by-part delivery
  • Overnight delivery
  • Copies of used sources
  • Expert Proofreading
Paper format
  • 275 words per page
  • 12 pt Arial/Times New Roman
  • Double line spacing
  • Any citation style (APA, MLA, Chicago/Turabian, Harvard)

Our guarantees

Delivering a high-quality product at a reasonable price is not enough anymore.
That’s why we have developed 5 beneficial guarantees that will make your experience with our service enjoyable, easy, and safe.

Money-back guarantee

You have to be 100% sure of the quality of your product to give a money-back guarantee. This describes us perfectly. Make sure that this guarantee is totally transparent.

Read more

Zero-plagiarism guarantee

Each paper is composed from scratch, according to your instructions. It is then checked by our plagiarism-detection software. There is no gap where plagiarism could squeeze in.

Read more

Free-revision policy

Thanks to our free revisions, there is no way for you to be unsatisfied. We will work on your paper until you are completely happy with the result.

Read more

Privacy policy

Your email is safe, as we store it according to international data protection rules. Your bank details are secure, as we use only reliable payment systems.

Read more

Fair-cooperation guarantee

By sending us your money, you buy the service we provide. Check out our terms and conditions if you prefer business talks to be laid out in official language.

Read more

Order your essay today and save 10% with the coupon code: best10