Question

LiCl is hydrated while NaCl is not. Why?

• A. Presence of 2 s shell
• B. Presence of anion
• C. Smaller cation
• D. LiCl is hydrophobic

Answer 1

The correct option is C

Smaller cation

Among the given salts, ${Li}^{+}$ is smaller when compared to ${Na}^{+}$ .

Thus, ${Li}^{+}$ has more charge density which leads to higher degree of hydration

This increases the effective size of ${Li}^{+}$ which is why it is very slow in solutions.