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If water H2O is polar and oxygen O2 non-polar how can there be dissolved oxygen in water?
Wiki User
∙ 15y ago
The simple answer is that most everything happens at least a little bit. The reason why is EQUILIBRIUM. You are correct---water is polar and oxygen is non-polar. The water molecules have great hydrogen bonding and dipole-dipole interactions with each other that the oxygen molecules cannot replace, and so it will take energy or ENTHALPY for oxygen to mix its way into the water. So the process is ENDOTHERMIC and hence unfavorable. However, when you dissolve oxygen in water, you get disorder---something that scientists quantify by talking about a solution's ENTROPY. It is favorable for entropy to increase, and in this case the entropy of the water solution would go up if you were to be able to squeeze some water molecules in there. So entropy and enthalpy are at odds for this reaction. Enthalpy is unfavorable, entropy is favorable. In situations like that systems will reach a state of equilibrium in which the reaction partially occurs. How much will depend on the relative sizes of the entropy and enthalpy changes.
Wiki User
∙ 15y ago
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Is Dihydrogen monoxide an example of a nonpolar molecule?
Dihydrogen monoxide (H2O or Water) is not an example of a nonpolar molecule. It is a polar molecule.
Where would you expect to find the largest amounts of dissolved oxygen in the ocean water?
Oxygen best dissolves at surfaces. So generally, you would find the largest amount of dissolved water at the surface, which is in contact with the air. As for a region, I would assume a region that has a lot of photosynthetic organisms and not a lot of oxygen consumers. Another factor that should be kept in mind, is that the lower the concentration of solutes (i.e.. salt) in the water, the more oxygen can be dissolved. For example, at 10 degrees Celsius, up to 8.02mL of oxygen can be present per liter of freshwater, but only 6.75mL of oxygen is dissolved per liter of saltwater. ______________ In polar regions. In polar regions
What is dissolve oxygen?
Dissolved oxygen is the current amount of oxygen in the water. A certain amount of Dissolved Oxygen Is needed to keep the fish alive, if any of the dissolved oxygen decreases by either a little or a lot it can cause changes in the water, normally if the dissolved oxygen decreases so do the fish and aquatics life's life.
Where does most oxygen enter the ocean from?
Oxygen gets dissolved in the water by diffusion from the air, due in large part to the wave action on the surface.
Does petrol dissolve oil?
Water is a polar molecule, and therefore dissolves other polar substances and many ionic compounds because of its partially positive hydrogen end and its partially negative oxygen end. However, petrol is a nonpolar substance and only dissolves other nonpolar substances.
Why is nonpolar oxygen soluble in polar water?
Because nonpolar oxygen is has a much greater electronegativity and oxygen and water go well.
Is ethoxyethane polar?
No, like other hydrocarbons ethane is nonpolar.
Is carbon tetrachloride CCl4 soluble in water?
because it is non polar and water is polar. polar dissolve with polar. nonpolar dissolve with nonpolar
Explain the polar nature of a water molecule?
First, since water is polar, it has an unequal distribution of charge. This means that water molecules are slightly positive and negative. This quality is important because that makes water a good solvent (it can dissolve many things). Other polar compounds and ions can easily be dissolved in water because polar + polar = even distribution of charge, and ions have a charge, so it's attracted to the opposite charge on the water molecule. The ability of water to dissolve many solutions is essential in organisms. In the bloodstream, for example, sugars and other nutrients are dissolved so that the blood cells can carry it to cells in the body. If sugars weren't dissolved, they couldn't reach cells. -Second, the polarity of water is important in repelling nonpolar compounds. Nonpolar compounds don't dissolve well in water (like how oil, a nonpolar solution, forms "beads" in water). This is important to cell membranes in the body. The shape and function of cell membranes depend on the interaction of polar water with nonpolar membrane molecules.
What polar molecules are attracted to water?
Hydrophobic molecules do not dissolve in water. This is because water is hydrophilic. Another way to say this is that lipids, which are nonpolar, cannot dissolve in water, which in polar.
Is watar a polar or nonpolar?
Water is polar
Why when a water molecule and an oxygen molecule are put in the same container and do not attract?
one is polar and one is nonpolar
Which region would you expect to find the largest amounts of dissolved oxygen in the ocean water?
In polar oceans because the solubility of oxygen increases with decreasing temperature
How do solids dissolve in liquids?
By being heated up and turning into either a gas or a liquid.
Is water a polar or nonpolar molecule?
A polar molecule
What type of compound will not dissolve in water?
A) nonpolar compounds will not dissolve in water because water is polar
Why do charged and polar molecules dissolve in aqueous solutions?
Because water is polar, and polar solvants will dissolve polar solutes. :)
