Summary:
- When ionic compounds are dissolved into water, the polar water molecules break apart the solid crystal lattice, resulting in the hydrated ions being evenly distributed through the water.
- This process is called dissociation and is the reason that all ioned compounds are strong electrolytes.
- A chemical reaction may occur between certain pairs of the hydrating ions.
- This is called a molecular equation.
- A single-replacement reaction is one in which an element replaces another element in a compound.
- An element is in either the solid, liquid, or gas state and is not an ion.