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Task 1
Alina has been learning about dissolving by seeing which solvents are able to dissolve sugar.
She found out that water was able to dissolve sugar. She went on to make solutions by
adding sugar to 100 cm3 of water and recording the mass of the solution formed.
She has found several extra beakers near to her experiment and she cannot remember if
these are sugar solutions or just plain water. Help her to decide if the unknown samples she
found were solutions or not. (Hint: 100 cm 3 of water has a mass of 100 g.)
Plot a graph of Alina’s results shown below.

Mass of sugar added to Mass of sugar

100 cm3 water (g) solution (g)
1 101
5 105
10 110
12 112
25 125
30 130

Use the following template to help you plot your graph of Alina’s results.
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This information about the unknown samples will help you answer the
questions below.

Mass of unknown
Unknown sample
sample (g)
A 115
B 107
C 100
D 120

Questions
1 Write a list of the unknown samples you think are solutions.

2 Explain how you identified solutions from Alina’s data about the unknown samples.
Use your graph or the numerical data in your table to support your explanation.
Show your working.

3 For each of the unknown samples you have identified as a solution, calculate how much
sugar is dissolved in it. Show your working.
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Extension
1 Alina has been dissolving sugar in the water. Predict if her results would be the same if she
had used a different solute, for example, salt. Explain your answer.

2 Draw particle diagrams in the boxes below to represent a salt–water solution and a sample
of pure water with nothing dissolved in it. The chemical formula for salt is sodium chloride,
NaCl.

Solution Pure water

3 Forming solutions is a very useful tool for chemists who make medicines, such as aspirin.
When medicines are first made they are impure. This means they contain unwanted
substances. Making a solution of the impure substance is the first step
in obtaining a pure medicine. Suggest how forming a solution could be useful in
removing impurities, and the practical method that could be used to obtain the
pure product.