In this post, I’ll share the solubility table of common ionic compounds in water.
Solubility table of common ionic compounds in water
Below is the solubility table for common ionic compounds you will be seeing in your O Level Chemistry exams. Students are expected to remember the solubility of these ionic compounds.
| ionic compound containing | Soluble in water | Insoluble in water |
| ammonium potassium sodium (and other Group I salts) | All are soluble | None |
| nitrates | All are soluble | None |
| chlorides | All are soluble with some exception | lead(II) chloride and silver chloride are insoluble in water |
| sulfates | All are soluble with some exceptions | barium sulfate and lead(II) sulfate are insoluble in water. calcium sulfate is only slightly soluble in water. |
| carbonates | Group I carbonates and ammonium carbonates are soluble in water. | All are insoluble with some exceptions. |
| hydroxide | Group I hydroxides are soluble in water. Barium hydroxide is soluble in water. Calcium hydroxide is insoluble in water. | All are insoluble with some exceptions. |
How to use the solubility table
Let’s go through some examples, to see how the solubility table above works.
Question: Which of the following are soluble in water: sodium chloride, barium sulfate, lead(II) chloride and magnesium carbonate
Answer:
Sodium chloride is soluble in water. Based on the solubility table above, all sodium compounds are soluble in water. Hence, sodium chloride is soluble in water.
Barium sulfate is insoluble in water. Based on the solubility table above, most sulfates are soluble. However, barium sulfate is one that is not soluble.
Lead (II) chloride is insoluble in water. Based on the solubility table above, most chlorides are soluble. However, lead (II) chloride is one that is not soluble.
Magnesium carbonate is insoluble in water. Based on the solubility table above, most carbonates are insoluble except for Group I and ammonium carbonate. Since magnesium does not belong to group I (magnesium is in group II) and it is also not ammonium, hence magnesium carbonate is insoluble in water.
Application of solubility table
In the chapter on acids, bases and salts, students are expected to be able to determine a method of salt preparation. The method of salt preparation depends on the solubility of the salt in water, and knowledge of the solubility table comes in.