When sodium chloride is added as a solute to the left beaker containing water, what occurs?

• A. The sodium chloride reacts with water to form sodium hydroxide and hydrochloric acid.
• B. The sodium chloride dissolves, dissociating into Na^+ and Cl^- ions.
• C. The sodium chloride remains as a solid and does not dissolve.
• D. The sodium chloride forms a precipitate at the bottom of the beaker.

Answer: (B)

Verified step by step guidance

1. Understand the nature of sodium chloride (NaCl) as an ionic compound composed of Na^+ and Cl^- ions held together by ionic bonds in a solid lattice.
2. Recognize that when NaCl is added to water, a polar solvent, the water molecules interact with the ions on the surface of the solid, stabilizing them in solution.
3. Know that this interaction causes the ionic bonds in the solid lattice to break, leading to the dissociation of NaCl into its constituent ions: \(\mathrm{Na^+}\) and \(\mathrm{Cl^-}\).
4. Recall that this process is a physical change (dissolution and dissociation), not a chemical reaction forming new substances like sodium hydroxide or hydrochloric acid.
5. Conclude that the correct description is that sodium chloride dissolves in water, dissociating into \(\mathrm{Na^+}\) and \(\mathrm{Cl^-}\) ions, resulting in an aqueous solution of these ions.