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Ch.14 - Solutions
Chapter 14, Problem 45

A solution contains 35 g of NaCl per 100.0 g of water at 25°C. Is the solution unsaturated, saturated, or supersaturated? (Use Figure 14.11.)

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Identify the solubility of NaCl in water at 25°C from Figure 14.11. This figure typically provides the maximum amount of solute that can dissolve in a given amount of solvent at a specific temperature.
Compare the given amount of NaCl (35 g) to the solubility value obtained from the figure for 100.0 g of water at 25°C.
If the given amount of NaCl is less than the solubility value, the solution is unsaturated, meaning more solute can dissolve.
If the given amount of NaCl is equal to the solubility value, the solution is saturated, meaning it contains the maximum amount of solute that can dissolve at that temperature.
If the given amount of NaCl is greater than the solubility value, the solution is supersaturated, meaning it contains more solute than can typically dissolve at that temperature, often requiring special conditions to maintain.

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Key Concepts

Here are the essential concepts you must grasp in order to answer the question correctly.

Solubility

Solubility is the maximum amount of a solute that can dissolve in a specific amount of solvent at a given temperature. For NaCl in water at 25°C, the solubility is approximately 36 g per 100 g of water. Understanding solubility helps determine whether a solution can hold more solute or if it has reached its limit.
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Saturated Solution

A saturated solution is one in which the maximum amount of solute has been dissolved in the solvent at a specific temperature. In this case, if the solution contains 35 g of NaCl in 100 g of water, it is close to saturation but not quite there, indicating that it can still dissolve more solute before reaching saturation.
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Supersaturation

Supersaturation occurs when a solution contains more solute than it can theoretically hold at a given temperature, often achieved through heating and then cooling the solution. In this scenario, since the solution has 35 g of NaCl, which is less than the solubility limit, it cannot be classified as supersaturated.
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