Solubility: Temperature Effect: Study with Video Lessons, Practice Problems & Examples

Solubility, also known as concentration or molarity, refers to the maximum amount of solute that can dissolve in a solvent. A saturated solution contains the maximum solute, while an unsaturated solution can still dissolve more. A supersaturated solution exceeds this limit, often achieved by applying heat. When cooled, excess solute may precipitate. Understanding these concepts is crucial for grasping chemical reactions and solutions, as they relate to the behavior of solutes and solvents in various conditions.

Solubility: Temperature Effect Concept 1

Welcome back, guys. In this new video, we're going to take a closer look at solubility. Now, what we should realize is that solubility can have two other names associated with it. Solubility is also called concentration. So if they say concentration, it's the same thing as solubility. Another name for concentration or solubility would be molarity. Molarity is moles of solute per liter of solution. Solubility is how much solute can we dissolve in our solvent. They're both basically saying the same exact thing. Now, when we dissolve a solid, what's going to happen is ions are going to leave that solid and basically dissolve within the solvent. And what we should realize is that there's basically a threshold, a limit to how much solute we can dissolve into something. After a certain point, we can try and try and try and add more and more solid but none of it's going to dissolve because the water, the liquid has reached its maximum amount of dissolving. So we should realize that when it comes to this there are different terms we need to be familiar with. We're going to say, in a blank solution, the maximum amount of dissolved solute is present in the solvent. So what I mean by this is let's say we have a bucket of water. And let's say that this bucket of water can only dissolve up to a 100 grams of solute. Let's say I take a 102 grams of solute and I dump it into that bucket. Now, the bucket will dissolve the 100 grams, no problem. But those extra 2 grams that I have are not going to dissolve. They're going to remain as solids clumped up at the bottom of the bucket of water. We're going to say this solution has reached its maximum amount of solute. We're going to say that this solution is saturated. So remember, saturated means that the solution, the solvent has reached its maximum amount in grams and moles, whatever of the amount of solute it can dissolve successfully. Now, in a blank solution, additional amounts of solute can be further dissolved in the solvent. So we have our same bucket of water. We say that it can dissolve a 100 grams. But let's say I take 90 grams of solute and I dump it in there. All 90 grams will completely dissolve and we still have room to dissolve 10 more grams. We're going to say that this solution is unsaturated. It still has room for it to dissolve more solvent. Okay? It'll successfully dissolve the 90 but we'll still have room for 10 more. Now, finally our last type, we're going to say in this, in a blank solution more than the equilibrium concentration of solute has been dissolved. What this means is again I have my bucket of water and somehow I get this bucket even though it's supposed to only dissolve a 100, I get it to dissolve those extra 2 grams I talked about earlier. And we're going to say that this solution is supersaturated. It's gone beyond its limit. Now, you might ask, How do we accomplish this? Well, what you're going to say here is to do this you'd have to apply heat. Heat is needed to do this. If you supply heat to it, you'll be able to dissolve beyond your maximum. But here's the thing, supersaturated solutions are very unstable. So the moment that I take away the heat from the solution, the extra 2 that I dissolved is going to resolidify and form a precipitate or what we call a solid on the bottom. Okay? So remember, heat causes us to create a supersaturated solution. I can dissolve a 102 grams. All 102 of it dissolves completely. Once I take away the heat, the extra 2 grams that I have here are going to form a precipitate. They're going to what we say recrystallize. They're going to recrystallize at the bottom of my bucket of water. So saturated, unsaturated, supersaturated. All of them deal with solubility. How much solute can I dissolve? All of them deal with molarity. So remember, solubility, concentration, molarity, all the same thing.

Solubility: Temperature Effect Example 1

Now, now that we've seen this, let's try to answer this question. Here we say caffeine is about 10 times as soluble in warm water as in cold water. Again, heat helps us to dissolve more solid. A student puts a hot water extract of caffeine into an ice bath and some caffeine crystallizes. What is the identity of the solution before it's been placed in an ice bath? Well, all we're going to say here is, when it was hot, it was able to dissolve much more than normal. 10 times more than in cold water. And as soon as I took away the heat, I took away the heat by putting it in an ice bath. If I put it in an ice bath and crystals form, that's recrystallization. So that must mean that the solution was supersaturated. Let's say if I took this solution and put it in an ice bath and no crystals formed. That means that my solution wasn't supersaturated. It might have been saturated or unsaturated. We don't know. Now, also, when we have recrystallization, the extra amount that we dissolved forms a precipitate. But what happens to my supersaturated solution is it goes to being just a regular saturated solution. Okay? So remember, adding heat creates a supersaturated solution. When we take away the heat, the supersaturated solution goes to being just a regular saturated solution. Those are the things that you need to realize and grasp when it comes to this.

In general, as the temperature increases, the solubility of gas in a given liquid ________________, and the solubility of most solids in a given liquid ________________. 

a. Increases, increases

b. increases, decreases

c. decreases, increases

d. decreases, decreases

• A. C
• B. B
• C. A
• D. D

Here’s what students ask on this topic:

What is the effect of temperature on solubility?

Temperature significantly affects solubility. For most solid solutes, solubility increases with temperature. This is because higher temperatures provide more kinetic energy to the solute and solvent molecules, allowing more solute to dissolve. However, for gases, solubility typically decreases with increasing temperature. This is due to the increased kinetic energy causing gas molecules to escape from the solvent. Understanding these effects is crucial for predicting how substances will behave in different conditions, which is essential in fields like chemistry and chemical engineering.

How does a supersaturated solution form?

A supersaturated solution forms when a solution contains more solute than it can theoretically hold at a given temperature. This is usually achieved by heating the solvent, dissolving the solute, and then slowly cooling the solution. The excess solute remains dissolved temporarily, creating an unstable state. If disturbed or if the temperature drops, the excess solute will precipitate out. This concept is important in understanding crystallization processes and the stability of solutions in various industrial applications.

What is the difference between saturated, unsaturated, and supersaturated solutions?

A saturated solution contains the maximum amount of solute that can dissolve at a given temperature, with any additional solute remaining undissolved. An unsaturated solution can still dissolve more solute, meaning it has not reached its maximum capacity. A supersaturated solution exceeds the normal solubility limit, often achieved by heating the solution to dissolve more solute and then cooling it. Supersaturated solutions are unstable and can precipitate the excess solute if disturbed. These distinctions are crucial for understanding solution dynamics in chemistry.

Why does solubility of gases decrease with increasing temperature?

The solubility of gases decreases with increasing temperature because higher temperatures provide more kinetic energy to gas molecules, causing them to escape from the solvent. This is described by Henry's Law, which states that the solubility of a gas in a liquid is inversely proportional to the temperature. This principle is important in various applications, such as understanding how temperature affects the oxygen levels in aquatic environments and the behavior of gases in industrial processes.

How can you determine if a solution is saturated, unsaturated, or supersaturated?

To determine if a solution is saturated, unsaturated, or supersaturated, you can compare the amount of dissolved solute to the solubility limit at a given temperature. If the solution contains the maximum amount of solute that can dissolve, it is saturated. If it contains less than this amount, it is unsaturated. If it contains more than the solubility limit, it is supersaturated. This can be tested by adding a small amount of solute: if it dissolves, the solution is unsaturated; if it does not dissolve, it is saturated; if it causes crystallization, the solution is supersaturated.