Answer to Question #192858 in General Chemistry for Jay Jay Aliling

Question

How will you describe the forces of attraction between solid solute and liquid solvent?

Answer 1

The strength of the intermolecular forces between solutes and solvents determines the solubility of a given solute in a given solvent. In order to form a solution, the solute must be surrounded, or solvated, by the solvent.

Intermolecular forces are weaker attractions that hold molecules or noble gas particles close together when they are in a liquid or solid form. Gas particles have broken away from the intermolecular forces that hold liquids and solids together. An alternative name for intermolecular forces is the van der Waals forces.