Dissolving

To understand dissolving, it’s important to know what a solvent, a solute and a solution are.

  • Solute – The substance that dissolves to form a solution
  • Solvent – A substance that can dissolve other substances to form a solution
  • Solution – A mixture of one or more solutes that are dissolved in a solvent

During the dissolving process, solvent and solute particles collide. The solvent particles move around and gradually surround the solute particles until they are evenly spread throughout the solvent.

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An example of dissolving occurs when salt is stirred into water; the salt dissolves in the water.

Remember:

  • The substance that dissolves is the solute
  • The substance that the solute dissolves in is called the solvent

In a saltwater solution, for example, salt serves as the solute and water acts as the solvent. In a solution, the solute and solvent mix completely.

There is a limit to how much solute will dissolve in a particular volume of solvent. When no more solute can dissolve, the mixture becomes a saturated solution.

Conservation of Mass

Just because the solute dissolves doesn’t mean it disappears. For example, if 1 gram of salt dissolves in 50 grams of water, then the mass of the saltwater solution would be 51 grams (1 + 50 = 51 g).

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