CoachThe solvation of a solute particle is its surrounding by solvent molecules oriented and bound to it by intermolecular forces (hydration, in water). The ionising power of a solvent is its ability to turn a polar covalent bond of the solute into an ion pair, a property of polar solvents with a large dipole moment; its dissociating power is its ability to separate the ions of a pair, measured by its relative permittivity.
Examples
Example 4.12 (Hydrogen chloride in water and in hexane)
In water, is ionised and dissociated completely: ; the solution conducts. In hexane, apolar and of low permittivity, it dissolves as molecules and the solution does not conduct.