Solutes, Solvents, and Solutions

Objective
At the end of the lesson, you will be able to describe a solution and its components.

A solution is a homogeneous mixture of two or more substances that exist in a single

phase.

What are the components of a solution?

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Everything in a solution is evenly spread out and mixed. Hence, the properties of a
solution are the same throughout.

The substance that is being dissolved is the solute and the substance that dissolves the
solute is called the solvent. Usually, the solute is present in smaller amounts than the
solvent. For example, in salt water, salt is the solute and water is the solvent.

"Like dissolves Like"

The general rule of a solution is, 'like dissolves like', which means polar solutes are
soluble in polar solvents while nonpolar solutes are soluble in nonpolar solvents.

Example
Water dissolves salt because water is a polar solvent and salt is a polar solute.The
nonpolar solute dichloromethane is soluble in the nonpolar solvent carbon tetrachloride.

However, dichloromethane will not dissolve in a polar solvent like water.

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Properties of a solution

 The particle size of solute is between 0 to 100 nm.

 The solute and solvent cannot be separated by filtration.
 The solute never settle on standing.
  Light will pass through the solution unchanged.

Which are not solutions?

Colloids and suspensions are mixtures, but they are not solutions.

The particle size of solute in a colloid is between 100 and 1000 nm. Like solutions,
these particles do not settle on standing, and they cannot be separated by filtration.
However, colloids exhibit brownian motion, which is the random movement of
particles suspended in liquid or gas. Examples of colloids are shaving cream, fog, and
smoke.

The particle size in a suspension is over 1000 nm. They settle on standing, and they
can be separated by filtration. Their concentration is not uniform throughout. Examples
of suspension include muddy water and paint.

Examples
Solutions are not always solids dissolved in liquids. They can also be formed by any
combination of solids, liquids, and gases.

Gas-Gas: oxygen and nitrogen in air

Gas-Liquid: carbon dioxide in soda

Gas-Solid: hydrogen in palladium

Liquid-Liquid: Acetic acid in water (vinegar)

Liquid-Solid: mercury and silver (dental filling)

Solid-Liquid: sugar in water

Solid-Solid: alloy of copper and zinc

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Solubility is defined as the amount of solute dissolved in a given amount of the solution
at any a given temperature. If less than 0.1 g of the solute is dissolved in 100 mL of the
solution, it is said to be insoluble or sparingly soluble.

Unsaturated, Saturated, and Supersaturated Solutions

A solution is said to be unsaturated when more solute can be dissolved in solution.

A solution is said to be saturated when no more solute can be dissolved at the current

temperature. The dissolved solute is in equilibrium with the undissolved solute.

A solution that contains more of the solute than normally exists for a saturated solution
at a particular temperature is said to be supersaturated. Supersaturated solutions can
be formed by adding more solute to a saturated solution and heating it to dissolve all
solute. The resulting supersaturated solution is unstable, and when it is disturbed, the
excess solute crystallizes out and the solution becomes saturated.

What do you think?

What are examples of solutions you use every day?

Key Points
 Solutions are homogeneous mixtures that occur in a single phase.
 Polar solvents dissolve polar solutes and nonpolar solvents dissolve nonpolar
solutes but polar solvents cannot dissolve nonpolar solutes.
 Solutions are different from colloids and suspensions in terms of particle size and
ways of separating the components.