Is vinegar soluble in water? If so is it an ionic solution?
The main component of vinegar is acetic acid which is an organic acid. While the compound itself is covalent, it does ionise to a small degree in water. This is not unusual – HCl is also a covalent compound that ionises in water. Both acids form H+ ions which is what gives them their acidic nature. Just because something dissolves in water does not mean it is ionic. For example, the sugar that you put in your tea dissolves, but it is a covalent compound. In this case no ionisation occurs. Compounds that dissolve in water do tend to have OH groups attached to them. These are dipolar groups which have a slight charge due to the electronegativity of the oxygen atom. This charge enables them to form hydrogen bonds with the water and thus dissolve. Organic compounds without an OH or O are insoluble (for example liquid alkanes) in water because they are unable to form the hydrogen bonds which are needed for them to dissolve. Not all ionic compounds are soluble in water either. For example, s
