Question

Pickling is used to prevent foods such as meat and vegetables from spoiling too soon. Food that has been pickled may remain edible for more than a year! One type of pickling involves soaking the food in a solution of water and sodium chloride
(NaCl)
. When sodium chloride is dissolved in water, sodium ions
(Na+)
and chloride ions
(Cl−)
form in the solution. During this process, a small amount of thermal energy is taken in from the surroundings.
Complete the statement.

Does this become warmer or colder

Answer 1

When sodium chloride (NaCl) dissolves in water and takes in thermal energy from the surroundings, the solution becomes colder. This is because the process of dissolving NaCl is endothermic, meaning it absorbs heat from the surrounding environment, resulting in a decrease in temperature of the solution.