how does salt dissolve in water?, confused... Options

[aztecs_ring]

i was stuck on my physics hw, about this question. then i asked my dad.
he told me that when they get into the water, the compounds seperates into sodium ions and chloride ions. but doesn't salt have a giant structure?
im like almost the dumbest one in my class

[urbanychic]

ok, im typing this STRAIGHT from my bio book .. hope this helps.

Salts are compounds that release ions other than H+ and OH- in solution. Salts and water often form when an acid and a base interact. Depending on a solution's pH, salts are able to dissolve easily.

In general, we say that a substance is dissolved after water molecules cluster around ions or molecules of it and thereby keep them dispersed in fluid. Such clusters are called "spheres of hydration". The spheres of hydration can be formed in the same way when pouring table salt into a cup of water, which keeps the ions (salt) completly disperesed in the fluid (water).

i hope that helps ...