Why CO2 will dissolve in water? thx

itsmine

As title, CO2 is non-polar, why it can dissolve in water which is a polarized slovent?

GCT

For one CO2 is an acidic oxide, it reacts with water to produce a salt species. Also, "dissolve" is not equated with solubility. As long as a gas, such as CO2, has a partial pressure above water, it will run into the surface of the liquid (such as water) and in a sense dissolve. CO2 has a net dipole moment of zero, however water can still be attracted to it through other means than dipole-dipole interactions.


-------
Help with chemistry
http://groups.msn.com/GeneralChemistryHomework

itsmine

Thanks for the reply, I was confused because of the like dissolves like theory.