Solutions

•What they are

•Dissolving
•Solute/Solvent
•Aqueous Solution
•Concentration
 First some Definitions
One substance mixes into another
• Dissolving – and breaks apart into its smallest
Like dissolves Like! particles (molecules or ions).
• Solution – A mixture that is homogeneous
at a molecular level.

• Solute – Substance being dissolved.

• Solvent - Substance doing the dissolving.

• Solvation – Solvent molecules surround the
solute particles and pull them away.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JAWiJKhmbQc
 More on solutes and solvents

There is usually more solvent than solute.

This is easy to remember because solute

(the one there’s less of) has fewer letters
than solvent (the one there’s more of).
 More on solutes and solvents

One example is salt water.

Salt is the solute and
water is the solvent.

Another example is 18K gold.

18K gold is 18 parts gold and 6
parts something else, usually
silver. Gold is the solvent and
silver is the solute.
 More on solutes and solvents

One example is salt water.

Salt is the solute and
water is the solvent.

Note: Salt water is an aqueous

solution because the solvent is
water.
 Types of Solutions
• Soluble = will dissolve
• Insoluble = will not dissolve
• Solubility = amount of solute that will
dissolve
– If a sol. is less than the max amount it is
unsaturated
– If a sol. has the max amount dissolved it is
saturated
 Supersaturated Solutions
• Supersaturated solutions = contains
more solute then it can theoretically hold
at a given temperature
– Can start crystallizing if gets too saturated
– When creating a solution with water and
sugar, if you put more then the max amount of
solute (sugar) it will start piling up at the
bottom and no longer dissolve – this is a
supersaturated solution
 Electrolytes
• Electrolytes = substances that break up in
water to produce ions (these ions can
conduct an electric current)
– Generally ionic compounds
• Ionization factor: tells you how many ions
a substance will break apart into if it does
– Covalent compounds don’t break apart so they
have an ionization factor of 1
– Ionic compounds have a factor greater than 1
 Ionization Factors
• Ex. Na3PO4 – phosphoric acid
– Would break up into 3 Na+ ions and 1
phosphate polyatomic ion (PO4)
– Ionization factor would be 4
• Try some more!
 Concentration

Concentration is how much or

how little solute is dissolved in
a given amount of solvent.
 Concentration
Which round-bottomed flask in the picture
contains the most concentrated solution?
Which contains the least?
 Concentration

Least concentrated Most concentrated

(aka dilute)
 Units of concentration
There are many different units of
concentration. These include:
• Percent (by volume, mass, or weight)
• ppm (parts per million)
• ppb (parts per billion)
• Molarity

We use molarity in chemistry!

 Concentration practice problems

Molarity (M) = moles of solute

Liters of solution

Molarity is the amount of solute (measured

in moles) that is dissolved in a given amount
of solution (measured in liters).
 Concentration practice problems
1. What is the molarity of a solution in which
58 g of NaCl are dissolved in 1.0 L of
solution?
Molarity (M) = moles of solute
Liters of solution
58 g x _1 mol _ = 0.99 mol
58.442 g

0.99 mol = 0.99M Notice the label

for molarity is M!
1.0 L
 Concentration practice problems

Molarity in pictures: Combine 0.99 mol of solute (green

solid) with enough water to make 1.0 L of solution.
• 10 g AgNO3 dissolved in 500 mL of
solution