Short Answer Type
Long Answer TypeWhat properties of water make it useful as a solvent? What type of compounds can it: (i) dissolve and (ii) hydrolyse?
Short Answer TypeLong Answer TypeShort Answer TypeWhat are the ways in which water molecules are bound to an anhydrous salt to form a hydrate?
Water combines with many salts during crystallisation to form hydrates. For example, CuSO4.5H2O; FeSO4.7H2O ; Na2SO4, 10H2CO etc.
This water in combination with ionic salts is called water of crystallisation and such crystals are called hydrated salts or simply hydrates. Water may be bonded to an anhydrous salt in three ways:
(i) Water molecules are coordinated to the central metal ion in complex ions such as [Li(H2O)6]+Cl-.
(ii) Water may be bonded by hydrogen bonds in certain oxygen-containing anions. For example, in CuSO4.5H2O four water molecules are coordinated to a central Cu2+ ion while the fifth water molecule is linked to sulphate group through hydrogen bonding.
(iii) Water molecules may occupy voids in the crystal lattice. For example, BaCl2.2H2O.
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