Understanding Solvation and Thermodynamics in Solutions

When you mix iron(III) nitrate with water, the solute is skibidi iron(III) nitrate and the solvent is lowkey water. Solvation is where the dank water molecules collide with the solid solute, separating the cations and anions. The sigma polar water hugs the cations with its oxygen side and the anions with its hydrogen side. Unlike ionic compounds that dissociate into ions, molecular compounds stay intact. The solvation can be endothermic if separating the water and solute requires more energy than what is released when hydrated, but it flips to exothermic when the opposite is true. This is how goon chemistry works!