Editing Aqueous solution (section)

== Characteristics ==
Substances that are ''[[hydrophobic]]'' ('water-fearing') do not dissolve well in water, whereas those that are ''[[hydrophilic]]'' ('water-friendly') do. An example of a hydrophilic substance is sodium chloride. In an aqueous solution the hydrogen ions ({{chem2|H+}}) and hydroxide ions ({{chem2|OH−}}) are in [[Acid–base reaction#Arrhenius theory|Arrhenius]] balance ({{chem2|[H+] [OH−]}} = ''[[Self-ionization of water|K<sub>w</sub>]]'' = 1 x 10<sup>−14</sup> at 298 K).
[[Acid]]s and [[Base (chemistry)|bases]] are aqueous solutions, as part of their [[Acid–base reaction#Arrhenius definition|Arrhenius definitions]].<ref name=":02" /> An example of an Arrhenius acid is [[hydrogen chloride]] (HCl) because of its dissociation of the hydrogen ion when dissolved in water. [[Sodium hydroxide]] (NaOH) is an Arrhenius base because it dissociates the hydroxide ion when it is dissolved in water.<ref name=":1" />

Aqueous solutions may contain, especially in the alkaline zone or subjected to radiolysis, hydrated atomic hydrogen and [[hydrated electron]]s.{{cn|date=February 2024}}