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Morgan Chandler

Why is Lithium Chloride (LiCl) soluble in alcohols?

Doctor Lee  Follow

The covalent character of any compound can be predicted on the basis of Fajans' Rule.

Fajans' Rule, simply stated, says that a smaller cation can polarize a given anion better than a larger cation and that larger anions are more polarizable than smaller anions.

$\ce{Li+}$ being a small cation polarizes $\ce{Cl-}$ to a good extent and since any amount of polarization increases the covalent character of a compound, $\ce{LiCl}$ can be said to have some covalent nature.

$\ce{LiCl}$ being somewhat covalent dissolves in organic solvents(Remember, Like dissolves Like) such as ethanol, acetone, ethyl acetate and pyridine.

Further, since $\ce{Na+}$ is unable to polarize $\ce{Cl-}$ to a good degree it is regarded mainly as an ionic compound.

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