Unlike protic solvents...

Question

Unlike protic solvents, which solvate anions, polar aprotic solvents form complexes with cations are better than with anions. Use a dashed line to show the interaction between dimethyl sulfoxide with a cation, using sodium azide as the source of the cation.

Answer 1

This would likely look something like this!

https://ibb.co/VtS5bqt

DMSO is a polar molecular with higher electron density closer to oxygen along the O-S bond (indicated by delta negative and delta positive). The "partial negative" charge on the O helps to stabilize the cations in solution, as indicated by the dashed lines.

This is in contrast to protic solvents which have the opposite phenomenon occur. The solvent will have O-H bonds in which the partial positive charge on H+ helps to stabilize anions like Cl-.

https://ibb.co/gV41jMb