Skip to Content Go to sign in Skip to Primary Navigation Skip to Secondary Navigation Skip to Page Navigation Skip to Header Navigation Skip to Footer Navigation Read more about accessability options and our navigation

Physics Classroom is making strides to make our site accessible to everyone. Our site contains 6 navigation areas. The Primary, Secondary, and Page Level navigations have a screen reader version of their nav structure that allows using the left and right keys to navigate sibling navigation items, and up or down keys to navigate parent or child navigation items. The others can be navigated using tabs. The Primary Navigation handles the first 2 levels of site pages. The Secondary (which is not always available) handles the 3rd and 4th level of structure. The Page level navigation allows you to navigate the current page's headings quickly. The Header Navigation contains the Light/Dark Mode toggle, Search, Notifications and account login. The Breadcrumb Navigation contains the breadcrumb of the current page. If the current page has a breadcrumb, you can get to it by skipping to the content and tabbing in reverse (shift plus tab). The Footer Navigation contains links such as Privacy, Contact, about and terms. Some resources contain an Audio Player that can be activated by holding down the T key for 3 seconds, and then using K to pause and resume. While not every area of Physics Classroom is usable purely from keyboard and screen reader, we are committed to continue work on making this possible. If you have questions or need additional help, please use this link to contact us.

Return to screen reader navigation
Home Interactives Solutions Dissolving a Salt Crystal Notes

Dissolving a Salt Crystal Notes

Notes:

The Dissolving a Salt interactive is an adjustable-size file that displays nicely on tablets such as the iPad, on Chromebooks, and on laptops and desktops. It's use on phones is at best questionable. The size of the Interactive can be scaled to fit the device that it is displayed on. The compatibility with iPads, other tablets, and Chromebooks make it a perfect tool for use in a 1:1 classroom.

Teaching Ideas and Suggestions:

This Interactive demonstrates what is meant by the term aqueous state. Students view a crystal of sodium chloride slowly undergoing dissolution. The hydration by water is shown as the H atoms surround the chloride ions and the O atoms surround the sodium ion and the crystal slowly disappear. Students whose mental model is "the sodium chloride is gone" will be challenged to think of the phenomenon differently. The model of the sodium and chloride ions in the crystal being pulled away and surrounded by the polar water molecules will become a more common description of what occurs when a salt like sodium chloride dissolves.

The simulation can be used as a demonstration or as the basis for a student activity. Currently we do not have a Student Activity Sheet. We hope to make one sometime in the near future.

We have a companion simulation to this one that is titled Dissolving a Sugar Crystal.

Related Resources:

We are currently at work on our Chemistry Tutorial and will soon have some pages on the topic of Solutions.

Our Dissociation Concept Builder may be a good accompaniment to this simulation.

Visit: Dissolving a Salt Crystal Interactive