Water and Potassium chloride

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IACMar121002
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Water and Potassium chloride

Post by IACMar121002 »

Hi,
can someone explain me why is water liquid at room temperature and KCl is solid instead? I'd like to receive a technical reason (intramolecular, intermolecular forces, etc), because I am not able to explain it very well.
Thanks in advance.

Marco
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ChenBeier
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Re: Water and Potassium chloride

Post by ChenBeier »

KCl is a salt. It has an ionic bond between pottasium and chlorine. One electron is transferred from K to Cl, so it is K+ + Cl-. This has a very strong electrostatic bond. At room temperature it is a solid material.
Water has kovalent bonds intra molecular between hydrogen an oxygen, so normaly it would be a gas, but it has also hydrogen bridge bonds inter molecular the water molecules what it makes it to liquid.
IACMar121002
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Re: Water and Potassium chloride

Post by IACMar121002 »

Thanks a lot. Can we also say that K+ and Cl- are arranged in a crystal lattice and vibrate around their equilibrium positions?
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ChenBeier
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Re: Water and Potassium chloride

Post by ChenBeier »

I dont think there I much Vibration.
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