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The solubility is the ability of a body or substance (solute) to dissolve in a given medium (solvent).
The term is also used to designate the maximum amount of said solute that a solvent can receive under certain conditions of temperature (solids) and pressure (gases). In this case it is expressed through concentration units, such as molarity, etc.
Solubility it is not a universal characteristic of all substancesSo some dissolve better in others, and some simply don't dissolve in others - water, often referred to as the universal solvent, cannot fully dissolve oil, for example. However, by altering the temperature and / or pressure at which a mixture, or adding other substances (catalysts) specific, completely different dissolution margins are possible.
The mentioned solubility factor of two substances depends, at the molecular level, of the forces of interaction between its different particles (polarity) and the very nature of the substances. Hence it is stated that "like dissolves like".
Lastly, once the solvent no longer tolerates solute, he is told that he is saturated; but if they obtain the specific conditions it is possible to increase their presence even more, thus having a mixture oversaturated.
It can serve you: Examples of Solute and Solvent
Examples of solubility
- Salt (sodium chloride) in water. Common salt is ordinarily dissolved in water, according to a rate of 360 g / l, as long as it is at 20 ° C. This indicates that 360 grams of salt can be dissolved in one liter of water at that temperature.. If we increase the temperature of the water, this amount of salt will increase.
- Fizzy drinks. Canned or bottled sodas have a high amount of carbon dioxide (CO2) dissolved inside, which gives them their characteristic bubbling. This occurs by supersaturating the mixture at very high pressure conditions.. Contrary to the previous example, increasing the temperature of this mixture destabilizes it and releases more gases, thereby decreasing the solubility rate.
- Solutions with iodine. Many solutions that use iodine (such as those used to heal superficial wounds) they cannot use water in their preparation, since iodine is not soluble in water. On the other hand, by using alcohol, the solubility rate is improved and the mixture can be produced.
- Coffee with milk. Taking as an example coffee with milk, in which the second is added to the first, we will see that the solubility rate of milk in coffee increases if we increase the temperature, while if we wait for the substances to cool down, we will surely see the formation of lumps or cream on the surface, evidence that the solution has become saturated more quickly.
- Oxygen in the blood. We all know that we require oxygen from the air to live, and that this substance is a gas. Even so, this element is transported in our blood to the various tissues that require it, and this is carried out through a solution, allowed by substances such as hemoglobin. People with a higher presence of said compound in the blood may dissolve more of this gas in blood than other people, thus being able to have more oxygenated tissues.
- Dissolve ethanol in benzene and in water. A curious case: even though benzene is polar and water is nonpolar, ethanol can dissolve in both. This is due to the fact that it has hydrocarbon parts that make it similar to benzene (a hydrocarbon) and at the same time that it has a hydroxyl group (-OH) that can establish hydrogen bonds with water.
- Atmospheric gases. Many gases that we daily release into the atmosphere are not soluble in air, often displacing it and taking its place. But nevertheless, when rising in the atmosphere and varying the pressure to which they are subjected, this condition varies and the mixture is finally produced, which is sometimes an important source of environmental pollution (such as the destruction of the ozone layer).
- Oil paint and thinner (thinner). Oil paint thinners are organic solvents derived from Petroleum, whose hydrocarbon composition allows to dissolve the layers of enamel paint, oil or grease, which are similar in composition and polarity.
- Nitrates (NO3) in water. All substances composed of nitrates (molecular groups of nitrogen and oxygen) are perfectly soluble in water. This is very verifiable in the processes of water contamination by the chemical industry or agro-fertilizers, whose waste, rich in nitrogen, goes to the sea and rivers, in which it dissolves easily and deteriorates the quality of present life.
- Plastics in acetone. Plastics are often mistakenly dissolved in acetone, as can be the case with lenses and other accessories mistakenly exposed to nail polish remover; This is because they have a similar molecular constitution (organic). In contrast, neither plastic nor acetone are soluble in water, since they do not share polarity.
It can serve you: Examples of Solutions
