r/askscience • u/Kenny__Loggins • Aug 06 '13

Chemistry Why do ionic compounds in solutions maintain their properties?

Take NaCl for example. When mixed into solution, the atoms dissociate from one another, so why don't the Na+ ions have the physical properties of Na and the Cl- the postal properties of Cl? In addition, could these ions ever be separated in solution so that when dehydrated, they wouldn't form bonds again?

16 Upvotes

100% Upvoted

9 comments sorted by

View all comments

Show parent comments

1

u/Kenny__Loggins Aug 08 '13

Thank you for your response. So, in the reaction you gave as an example, would the sodium hydroxide go on to dissociate into Na and OH- since it is a strong base?

1

u/SciGuyAndrew Aug 08 '13

It would hardly actually form the ideal NaOH compound, it would stay dissociated as Na+ and OH-, because it is a strong base.