The Amazing World of Solutes, Solvents, and Solutions - Properties of Solutes and Solvents
Review the key concepts, formulae, and examples before starting your quiz.
🔑Concepts
A Solute is a substance that is dissolved in a liquid to form a solution. Common examples include salt and sugar.
A Solvent is the substance (usually a liquid) that dissolves the solute. For example, in a salt-water mixture, water is the solvent.
A Solution is a uniform mixture formed when a solute is completely dissolved in a solvent. It is represented as .
Soluble Substances are those that dissolve completely in a solvent (e.g., sugar in water), while Insoluble Substances do not dissolve (e.g., sand in water).
Water () is known as the Universal Solvent because it has the unique property of dissolving more substances than any other liquid.
The rate at which a solute dissolves can be increased by stirring, heating the solvent, or breaking the solute into smaller particles.
📐Formulae
💡Examples
Problem 1:
Rohan adds of salt to of water () and stirs it until it disappears. Identify the solute and the solvent in this solution.
Solution:
Solute: Salt; Solvent: Water ()
Explanation:
In this mixture, the salt is the substance being dissolved, so it is the solute. The water is the liquid that does the dissolving, so it is the solvent.
Problem 2:
Why does sugar dissolve faster in a cup of hot tea than in a glass of cold water?
Solution:
Temperature increases the rate of dissolving.
Explanation:
When the temperature of the solvent (tea) is high, the molecules move faster and hit the solute (sugar) particles more often, helping them break apart and mix into the solution quickly.
Problem 3:
Is a mixture of sand and water considered a solution? Why or why not?
Solution:
No, it is not a solution.
Explanation:
Sand is insoluble in water. Because the sand does not dissolve and settles at the bottom, it does not form a uniform mixture or a true solution.