Why does the water in the ocean taste salty, even though the salt is not visible? Explain.
Ocean water tastes salty because salt is dissolved in it.
When salt dissolves in water, it breaks up into its constituent particles which are extremely small and cannot be seen with the naked eye.
These tiny salt particles occupy the interparticle spaces between water particles.
Even though the salt particles are invisible, their presence can be sensed by taste, just as sugar dissolved in water makes it taste sweet without being visible.
Explanation
The chapter explains through Activity 7.2 that when sugar dissolves in water, it breaks into constituent particles that cannot be observed but their presence can be sensed by taste. Similarly, salt in ocean water dissolves and breaks into constituent particles that occupy interparticle spaces between water particles, making the water taste salty even though the salt is not visible.
Solution Steps
Ocean water contains salt that is dissolved in it
When salt dissolves, it breaks into constituent particles that are too small to be seen
The dissolved salt particles occupy interparticle spaces between water particles
The presence of dissolved salt can be detected by taste even though it is not visible