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For dissolution to occur, solute-solute interactions between solute particles must be disrupted, solvent-solvent interactions between solvent molecules must be disrupted to make room for solute, and solvent-solute interactions must be established between solvent and solute particles. The relative strength of these three interactions determines whether a solute will dissolve.

Water molecules arrange so their positive dipole end faces negative chloride ions and their negative end faces positive sodium ions. These ion-dipole attractions weaken the ionic bonds holding the salt crystal together, allowing ions to separate. The hydrated ions are then surrounded by water molecules in a process called hydration.

An ideal solution forms when intermolecular forces between solute and solvent are no different than those in separated components, resulting in no energy change during dissolution. Ideal solutions occur with gases experiencing no significant intermolecular attractions or with structurally similar liquids like methanol and ethanol, where attractive forces between like and unlike molecules are essentially equivalent.

If a solute's electrostatic forces are significantly stronger than solvation forces, dissolution is endothermic and the compound may not dissolve appreciably. Conversely, if solvation forces greatly exceed electrostatic forces, dissolution is exothermic and the compound becomes highly soluble. The balance between these forces determines solubility and whether dissolution is exothermic and endothermic.

Intermolecular forces include dispersion forces between nonpolar molecules like nitrogen, dipole-dipole attractions between polar molecules like hydrochloric acid, hydrogen bonding between molecules like ammonia, and ion-dipole interactions between ions and polar molecules like potassium ions and water. These forces vary in strength and determine how substances interact when mixed.

Increased matter dispersal provides the driving force for spontaneous solution formation even when intermolecular forces between components are similar. In ideal liquid solutions like methanol and ethanol mixtures, the dissolution process requires no appreciable energy change because the attractive forces between like and unlike molecules are essentially the same, allowing entropy to drive the process.

When a solute dissolves in water, hydrogen bonding between a relatively small fraction of water molecules must be overcome to accommodate dissolved solute particles. The hydrated ions disrupt some of these hydrogen bonds as they become surrounded by water molecules, allowing the salt crystal structure to break down and ions to disperse throughout the solution.