To determine why sodium chloride (NaCl) has a high melting point, let's consider the nature of bonding within the substance.
1. Sodium chloride (NaCl) is an ionic compound.
2. In an ionic compound, ions are held together by strong electrostatic forces known as ionic bonds.
3. Specifically, in NaCl, sodium (Na) forms positive ions (Na⁺) and chlorine (Cl) forms negative ions (Cl⁻).
4. These opposite charges attract each other strongly, creating strong electrostatic attractions between Na⁺ ions and Cl⁻ ions.
5. Strong electrostatic forces result in a significant amount of energy needed to break these bonds for the substance to melt. Thus, NaCl has a high melting point.
Given the choices:
a. The weak electrostatic attraction between [tex]\(Na^+\)[/tex] and [tex]\(Cl^-\)[/tex]
b. The strong electrostatic attraction between [tex]\(Na^+\)[/tex] and [tex]\(Cl^-\)[/tex]
c. The weak electrostatic attraction between [tex]\(Na^\circ\)[/tex] and [tex]\(Cl^\circ\)[/tex]
d. The strong electrostatic attraction between [tex]\(Na^\circ\)[/tex] and [tex]\(Cl^\circ\)[/tex]
Given that the attractions in NaCl are strong ionic bonds between Na⁺ and Cl⁻, the most appropriate explanation is:
b. The strong electrostatic attraction between [tex]\(Na^+\)[/tex] and [tex]\(Cl^-\)[/tex]
So, the best explanation for the high melting point of sodium chloride is the strong electrostatic attraction between [tex]\(Na^+\)[/tex] and [tex]\(Cl^-\)[/tex].
