Why does sodium chloride have a low solubility in ethanol?

Sodium chloride, NaCl, is an ionic compound, meaning it is composed of positively charged ions (cations) and negatively charged ions (anions). In the case of NaCl, the cation is sodium, Na+, and the anion is chloride, Cl-. Ethanol, on the other hand, is a polar molecular compound, meaning that its molecules have a partial positive charge at one end and a partial negative charge at the other.

When sodium chloride is dissolved in water, the water molecules surround the ions and separate them from each other, forming a solution. This process is called ionization. However, ethanol is not as good at ionizing sodium chloride as water because ethanol molecules are not as polar as water molecules. This means that ethanol molecules do not surround the ions as effectively as water molecules, and the ions remain closer together. As a result, sodium chloride has a low solubility in ethanol.

In addition, the sodium and chloride ions in NaCl are strongly attracted to each other, which makes it difficult for them to be separated by ethanol molecules. This strong attraction between the ions also contributes to the low solubility of NaCl in ethanol.