Hydrochloric acid is not soluble in toluene, a nonpolar solvent but quite soluble in water. What can be inferred about the nature of the acid?

1 Answer
Jun 15, 2017

That it's a polar compound.

Explanation:

Likes dissolve in likes.

Hydrochloric acid not only dissolves in water, but it dissociates:
#HCl->H^+ +Cl^-#

The #H^+# attaches to a water molecule to form hydronium:
#HCl+H_2O->H_3O^+ +Cl^-#

Where the hydronium is causing the acidity.