Why does table salt ($ ext{NaCl}$) remain a solid crystal when placed in a nonpolar solvent like vegetable oil?
Answer
The nonpolar oil molecules lack significant charge to pull the charged ions apart.
For salt to dissolve, the solvent must attract the ions more strongly than the ions attract each other. Nonpolar oil molecules do not possess the necessary charge separation to overcome the strong ionic bonds holding the salt crystal together.
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