How do organic solvents dissolve substances with covalent bonds?
Ziggy asked:
I understand how water is able to dissolve ionic molecules, but I do not understand how organic solvents are able to dissolve substances that are bonded covalently. Are the bonds broken or is it a case of surrounding individual molecules to disrupt Van der Waal forces?
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I understand how water is able to dissolve ionic molecules, but I do not understand how organic solvents are able to dissolve substances that are bonded covalently. Are the bonds broken or is it a case of surrounding individual molecules to disrupt Van der Waal forces?
Keep any answers reasonably simple please! 
July 5th, 2010 at 8:18 am
In the simplest terms, like dissolves like.
Covalent bonds are not broken. As organic solvents have Van der Waals forces between their molecules and covalent substances also tend to have the same forces between then, these forces can extend easily through the mixture making them miscible. This is because the energy required to break the bonds between the organic molecules will be balanced out by the energy given out when the bonds between the covalent substance and the organic molecules form. Clueless