---
title: "A student dissolves a sample of solid magnesium chloride, \\(\\text{MgCl}_2\\text{(s)}\\), in distilled water. Which of the following best predicts the orientation of the surrounding \\(\\text{H}_2\\text{O}\\) molecules in the hydration shells around the dissolved \\(\\text{Mg}^{2+}\\text{(aq)}\\) and \\(\\text{Cl}^-\\text{(aq)}\\) ions?"
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url: "https://nerd-notes.com/ubq/119157/"
date_modified: "2026-08-19T12:32:24+00:00"
---

# A student dissolves a sample of solid magnesium chloride, \(\text{MgCl}_2\text{(s)}\), in distilled water. Which of the following best predicts the orientation of the surrounding \(\text{H}_2\text{O}\) molecules in the hydration shells around the dissolved \(\text{Mg}^{2+}\text{(aq)}\) and \(\text{Cl}^-\text{(aq)}\) ions?

A student dissolves a sample of solid magnesium chloride, \(\text{MgCl}_2\text{(s)}\), in distilled water. Which of the following best predicts the orientation of the surrounding \(\text{H}_2\text{O}\) molecules in the hydration shells around the dissolved \(\text{Mg}^{2+}\text{(aq)}\) and \(\text{Cl}^-\text{(aq)}\) ions?

- **A.** The hydrogen atoms of \(\text{H}_2\text{O}\) point toward \(\text{Mg}^{2+}\), and the oxygen atoms point toward \(\text{Cl}^-\).
- **B.** The oxygen atoms of \(\text{H}_2\text{O}\) point toward both \(\text{Mg}^{2+}\) and \(\text{Cl}^-\).
- **C.** The oxygen atoms of \(\text{H}_2\text{O}\) point toward \(\text{Mg}^{2+}\), and the hydrogen atoms point toward \(\text{Cl}^-\).
- **D.** The hydrogen atoms of \(\text{H}_2\text{O}\) point toward both \(\text{Mg}^{2+}\) and \(\text{Cl}^-\).

*The answer key and step-by-step explanation are available to logged-in users at https://nerd-notes.com/ubq/119157/*