eli5: Why does NaCl not blow up in water like Na? Doesn’t the molecule breaks into Na+ / Cl- in water?
In: 3
NaCl already is Na+ and Cl-. In solid form, those ions are neatly stacked in a lattice. When water is added, those ions just separate because water is polar and can act as a + on one side and a – on the other.
The violent chemical reactions are when a Neutral Na atom loses its ~~hydrogen~~ electron and when a neutral Cl atom gains its electron. Salt is ionic, the transfer has already taken place.
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