Oil is insoluble in water. Which step in the threestep process for dissolving is responsible for this? Explain why this step is the problem.

Short Answer

Expert verified
The step responsible for oil being insoluble in water is the third step in the dissolving process: combining the solute (oil) and solvent (water) particles to form a solution. This is because of the different polarities of oil and water molecules. Oil is non-polar and water is polar, and due to the "like-dissolves-like" principle, they do not mix well, preventing the formation of a homogeneous solution.

Step by step solution

01

Understanding the dissolving process

The process of dissolving involves three steps: 1. Separating the solute particles from each other. 2. Separating the solvent particles from each other. 3. Combining the solute and solvent particles to form a solution. In the case of oil and water, oil is the solute and water is the solvent.
02

Analyzing interactions between oil and water molecules

To determine which step is responsible for oil being insoluble in water, we need to understand the interactions between oil and water molecules. Oil is a non-polar molecule and is composed of hydrophobic particles, while water is a polar molecule and is composed of hydrophilic particles. This means that oil particles and water particles have different chemical properties.
03

Identify the step responsible for oil being insoluble in water

Now that we know the interactions between oil and water molecules, we can identify the step responsible for the insolubility. Since oil is non-polar and water is polar, the problem lies in the third step of the dissolving process: combining the solute and solvent particles to form a solution. The "like-dissolves-like" principle states that polar substances tend to dissolve other polar substances and non-polar substances tend to dissolve other non-polar substances. Because oil and water have different polarities, they do not mix well, and oil is unable to dissolve in the water. Thus, the step responsible for oil being insoluble in water is:
04

Combining the solute and solvent particles to form a solution

This step is the problem because oil and water have different polarities. Due to the "like-dissolves-like" principle, oil particles do not mix well with water particles, preventing the formation of a homogeneous solution.

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