When an ionic compound dissolves in water, the ions that form are called

• A. Dissolved ions
• B. Free radicals
• C. Gas ions
• D. Aqueous ions

Answer: (D)

When an ionic compound dissolves in water, it splits into charged particles and those particles become surrounded by water molecules, forming hydrated ions in the solution. The standard way to name them in chemistry is aqueous ions, meaning they are ions present in water (often written with the (aq) notation). This term highlights both their charged nature and their state in a dissolved, water-based solution.

Free radicals are unrelated here because they’re species with unpaired electrons, not simply ions in solution. Gas ions refer to ions in the gas phase, which isn’t what happens when a salt dissolves in water. So the best description for the ions formed in an aqueous solution is aqueous ions.