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Dissociation
The process of dissociation is the dissolving of ionic compounds to produce ions. When you introduce water to the ionic compounds, the water molecules will pull apartment the ionic bonds. This happens because the polar ends of the water molecules have a strong attraction to the positive and negative ions in the ionic compound; they surround the positive cations and the negative anions in a process called hydration.
Electricity Conductors
The process of dissociation can produce electrolytic solutions. Electrolytic solutions are solutions that can conduct electricity due to the substances dissolving in water to produce ions. A strong electrolyte will dissolve well and produce many ions, while a weak electrolyte will dissolve but not produce many ions.
Example of Dissociation
Sodium chloride is a good example of a strong ionic compound. The positives ions in sodium and the negative ions in chlorine attract one another and form a strong bond. Sodium chloride is found on the supermarket shelves as iodized salt. When you drop iodized salt into water, it dissolves (or dissociates) and releases its elementary form (ions) into the water. However, if you add too much iodized salt at one time, it will balance out and not dissociate.
Molecular Compounds
Another process that can produce ions, though rarer, is called ionization. In this process molecular compounds dissolve in water to produce ions. While most molecular compounds do not dissolve in water, acids do because they produce hydrogen ions.