Home > Community > Why is lithium chloride more soluble in water compared to sodium chloride and potassium chloride (group 1 chlorides)?
Upvote

17

Downvote
+ Solubility
+ Sodium
+ Chemistry
Posted by
Larry Radford

Why is lithium chloride more soluble in water compared to sodium chloride and potassium chloride (group 1 chlorides)?

Costa Conn  Follow

It is because lithium ion has higher hydration energy than sodium ion and potassium ion. For all having same charge of +1, the ionic size of lithium is smaller than sodium and potassium ions, making it having high charge density and high polarising power. Hence, water is polarised by lithium ion easier and LiCl is more soluble.

More

Upvote

VOTE

Downvote
Dennis Leppin  Follow

Lithium chloride is a chemical compound of 1st group having the fomula LiCl. This is generally an ionic compound(salts), although the small size of the Li+ ion gives rise to properties not seen for other alkali metal chlorides, such as extraordinary solubility in polar solvent . although the other members of the family having salts like sodiumchloride (NaCl) and potassiumchloride (KCl) are soluble in water but due to smaller size of Li ions it from bond with water molecules much easily as the solubility decreases with the increase in molecular weight so LiCl being the most light weighted amongst the three get more solubility property.

More

Upvote

VOTE

Downvote