The polarity of a solvent plays a significant role in determining the solubility of a substance. The solubility of a substance is its ability to dissolve in a particular solvent. This process is governed by the principle "like dissolves like," which means that polar solvents dissolve polar solutes, and nonpolar solvents dissolve nonpolar solutes.Polarity refers to the distribution of electric charges within a molecule. In a polar molecule, there is an uneven distribution of electron density, resulting in a molecule with a positive end and a negative end. Nonpolar molecules, on the other hand, have an even distribution of electron density and do not have distinct positive or negative ends.When a polar solute is placed in a polar solvent, the positive and negative ends of the solute molecules are attracted to the opposite charges of the solvent molecules. This electrostatic attraction between the solute and solvent molecules helps to overcome the forces holding the solute molecules together, allowing the solute to dissolve. For example, table salt sodium chloride, NaCl is a polar solute that dissolves readily in water, a polar solvent, due to the attraction between the positively charged sodium ions Na+ and the negatively charged oxygen atoms in water molecules, and the attraction between the negatively charged chloride ions Cl- and the positively charged hydrogen atoms in water molecules.Conversely, nonpolar solutes dissolve in nonpolar solvents because there are no strong electrostatic attractions between the solute and solvent molecules. Instead, the solute molecules are held together by weaker forces, such as van der Waals forces or London dispersion forces. When a nonpolar solute is placed in a nonpolar solvent, these weaker forces between the solute molecules can be overcome by the similar forces between the solute and solvent molecules, allowing the solute to dissolve. For example, oil, a nonpolar solute, dissolves in gasoline, a nonpolar solvent, due to the weak van der Waals forces between the hydrocarbon molecules in both substances.However, when a polar solute is placed in a nonpolar solvent or vice versa, the solute is generally not soluble. This is because the electrostatic attractions between the polar solute and polar solvent molecules are much stronger than the weaker forces between the polar solute and nonpolar solvent molecules, or between the nonpolar solute and polar solvent molecules. As a result, the solute molecules cannot be separated from each other and do not dissolve in the solvent. For example, oil does not dissolve in water because the weak van der Waals forces between the oil molecules cannot overcome the strong electrostatic attractions between the water molecules.In summary, the polarity of a solvent affects the solubility of a substance by determining the types of forces that can exist between the solute and solvent molecules. Polar solvents dissolve polar solutes due to the electrostatic attractions between their molecules, while nonpolar solvents dissolve nonpolar solutes due to the weaker forces between their molecules. This principle of "like dissolves like" is essential for understanding the solubility of substances in different solvents.