Salt Dissolving In Water Chemical Or Physical Change. Potassium chlorate decomposes to potassium chloride and oxygen gas. When sugar is dissolved the molecules disperse throughout the water but they do not change their chemical identity.
In contrast dissolving a covalent compound like sugar does not result in a chemical reaction. However the chemical species of salt solution viz. Potassium chlorate decomposes to potassium chloride and oxygen gas.
Salt dissolving in water is a physical change.
N a C l s N a a q C l a q. Some people claim that this is a chemical change since the ionic compound of sodium chloride has separated into ions of sodium and ions of chlorine. Physical changes can often be reversed. When you dissolve salt in water the sodium chloride dissociates in N a ions and C l ions which may be written as a chemical equation.
