Solvation is the process where a solute dissolves in a solvent to form a solution with weak covalent electronic bonds. It is important to understand in chemistry and biology and occurs only with polar solvents like water. The solvation energy levels change during the process, and some substances release large amounts of energy as heat when solvated in water.
In chemistry, when a substance known as a solute dissolves in another, known as a solvent, it is referred to as a solution. Solvation is a process where a chemical reaction occurs during this and both the solute and the solvent combine to form weak covalent electronic bonds. The solvation process is closely related to dissolution and solubility, with the technical distinction being that it creates a stable state in solution where the ionic charges of the solute and solvent cancel each other out to form an overall neutral charge.
While the solvation model can also be applied to insoluble materials where ion exchange processes occur on a solid surface, it is more frequent in aqueous solutions. It is considered an important process to understand in chemistry since most chemical reactions occur in a solution state. In biology, essentially all biochemical reactions in the human body also occur in a water-based solution, so solvation is even more important to understand there.
The common process of water solvation, also known as hydration, has a direct impact on the security of city water supplies. Water that is purified for drinking and other uses by municipalities is not pure water and, in fact, may end up with more dissolved solids in it due to hydration than it was in the beginning. This is because water molecules generally contain enough ionic energy to break down the structure of ionic crystal lattice solids, such as sodium chloride.
The solvation process occurs only with polar solvents, of which water is one. A polar solvent is a chemical in which there is a permanent separation of positive and negative charges or in which the center of the charges are not balanced. Polar solvents are said to have high dielectric constants or a strong ability to concentrate electric flux. Other examples of polar solvents include ethanol, butanol and formic acid.
When the solvation process occurs, the solvation energy levels also change. Energy is released when the solvent coordinates with free ions, which is known as the ligation energy. As the ions disperse in the solvent, energy is tied up in a process known as energy dispersion.
Some substances can release large amounts of energy as heat when solvated in water, measured in kilogram-Joule/mol, and others release very little, depending on their molecular structure. The molar enthalpy, or heat content, of aluminum chloride, AlCl3, is -373.63 kJ/mol where that of sulfuric acid, H2SO4, is one-third that level at -95.28 kJ/mol, classifying them as releasing high amounts of energy in a solvation of water. Examples of molecules that release small molar enthalpy rates include lithium nitrate, LiNO3, at -2.51 kJ/mol and potassium chloride, KCl, at -17.22 kJ/mol.
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