3.50. Saturation http://www.ck12.org
3.50 Saturation
- Distinguish between saturated and unsaturated solutions.
- Decide whether a given solution is saturated or unsaturated.
You could add all the sugar in this scoop to the water in the measuring container, and all the sugar would dissolve,
forming a sugar-water solution. A solution is a mixture of two or more substances in which the substances are mixed
evenly throughout. The substance that dissolves in a solution is the solute. In this case the solute is sugar. The
substance that does the dissolving—in this case, the water—is the solvent. Sugar is one of the most soluble solutes
in water. This means that more of it can dissolve in water than is true of many other solutes. However, there is a
limit on how much of any solute—even sugar—will dissolve in water or other given solvent.
Saturated vs. Unsaturated Solutions
The maximum amount of sugar that will dissolve in a liter of 20 °C water is 2000 grams. A sugar-water solution
that contains 1 liter of water and 2000 grams of sugar is said to be saturated. Asaturated solutionis a solution that
contains as much solute as can dissolve in a given solvent at a given temperature. If you add more than 2000 grams
of sugar to a liter of 20 °C water, the extra sugar won’t dissolve. On the other hand, a solution containing less than
2000 g of sugar in 1 liter of 20 °C water can hold more sugar. A solution that contains less solute than can dissolve at
a given temperature is called anunsaturated solution. You can learn more about saturated and unsaturated solutions
by watching the video at this URL: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IKimraU21ws.