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AP essay on ammonia and solubility
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The Solubility of Oxygen and Ammonia
Oxygen does not dissolve in water as readily as ammonia does because of polarity. The polarity of the water helps it break down or dissolve other polar molecules. Polarity is when a molecule bonded by a covalent bond has unequal sharing of electrons between atoms which causes the atoms to have charges. This is because the different atoms have a different electronegativity, which is how strongly the nucleus of the atom pulls on it's electrons. In H2O, the oxygen has a much higher electronegativity than the hydrogens, so the oxygen holds the electrons for longer than the hydrogens. This causes the oxygen atom to have a negative charge and the hydrogen atoms to have positive charges. When a substance with polar molecules is placed into the water, the hydrogen attracts the negative end of the molecule while the oxygen attracts the positive side and these attractions form hydrogen bonds. The molecules of the substance are broken down into individual particles and can no longer be seen by the naked eye. If the substance is nonpolar, the interactions between the water molecules will push the substance away. This is why polar molecules are soluble and nonpolar molecules are not. Oxygen does not dissolve as well as ammonia in water because it is nonpolar. The oxygen molecule O2 is made up of two oxygen molecules, so they have the same electronegativity and pull on their electrons with equal strength. Since the water molecules are pushing and pu...
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