Compounds soluble in water list

In solution, each water molecule acts like a tiny magnet that creates a force of attraction on the ions in the solute. If the combined force of all the water molecules surrounding a solute is more than the force of attraction between the ions, the ions separate.

As each one does, it is surrounded by water molecules, which prevent it from recombining. The positive and negative ions drift off into the solution.

The process of dissolving a substance in solution is called

When all the water molecules have attached themselves to ions and no more are available, the solution is said to be saturated, and no more of the solute will dissolve.

Not all compounds are equally soluble. Some dissolve only partially because the concentration of ions in solution quickly reaches an equilibrium with the undissolved compound.

The solubility product constant K_sp measures this equilibrium point. The higher the K_sp, the higher the solubility. You can find the K_sp of a particular compound by looking it up in tables.