A solution is a homogeneous mixture of two or more components in which the particle size is smaller than 1 nm.
Common examples of solutions are sugar in water and salt in water solutions, soda water, etc. In a solution, all the components appear as a single phase. There is particle homogeneity i.e. particles are evenly distributed. This is why a whole bottle of soft drink has the same taste throughout.
Table of Contents
Solutions have two components, one is solvent and the other is solute.
The component that dissolves the other component is called the solvent.
The component(s) that is/are dissolved in the solvent is/are called solute(s).
Generally solvent is present in major proportion compared to the solute. The amount of solute is lesser than the solvent. The solute and solvent can be in any state of matter i.e. solid, liquid or gas.
Solutions that are in the liquid state consist of a solid, liquid or gas dissolved in a liquid solvent. Alloys and air are examples of solid and gaseous solutions, respectively.
The following examples illustrate solvent and solute in some solutions.
Liquid solutions, such as sugar in water, are the most common kind, but there are also solutions that are gases or solids. Any state of matter (solid, liquid, or gas) can act both as a solute and as a solvent during the formation of a solution. Therefore, depending on the physical states of solute and solvent, we can classify solutions into nine different types.
S.No Types of Solution Solute Solvent Examples 1 Solid-solid solid solid Alloys like brass, bronze etc. 2 Solid-liquid solid liquid The solution of sugar, salt etc in water. 3 Solid-gas solid gas Sublimation of substances like iodine, camphor etc into the air. 4 Liquid-solid liquid solid Hydrated salts, mercury in amalgamated zinc, etc. 5 Liquid-liquid liquid liquid Alcohol in water, benzene in toluene 6 Liquid-gas liquid gas Aerosol, water vapour in the air. 7 Gas-solid gas solid Hydrogen absorbed in palladium 8 Gas-liquid gas liquid Aerated drinks 9 Gas-gas gas gas A mixture of gases, etcAlso Check ⇒ Supersaturated Solution
Different properties of solutions are as follows:
Mixtures are substances that consist of two or more types of matter. Air, soil, blood, etc. are different examples of mixtures. Based on the nature of the components and their distribution, mixtures are classified as homogeneous and heterogeneous mixtures.
A solution is a homogeneous mixture of two or more components. Let’s learn more about solutions, their properties, and how to find a concentration of solutions.
The amount of solute in a given solution is called the concentration of a solution. The proportion of solute and solvent in solutions is not even. Depending upon the proportion of solute, a solution can be:
\(\begin{array}{l} The\ concentration\ of\ solution = \frac{Amount\ of\ solute}{Amount\ of\ solution}\end{array} \)
Or
\(\begin{array}{l} The\ concentration\ of\ solution = \frac{Amount\ of\ solute}{Amount\ of\ solvent}\end{array} \)
Frequently Asked Questions – FAQs
Q1
It can be represented in a number of ways. Colligative characteristics of a solution rely on the total number of dissolved particulates in solution, not on their chemical identity. Vapor pressure, boiling point, freezing point, and osmotic pressure are all colligative qualities.
Q2
Solid solution, Liquid solution, Gaseous solution.
Q3
A solution is a mixture of two or more components that is homogenous. The solvent is the material that is present in the maximum amount, whereas the solute is the substance that is present in the least amount.
Q4
There are two types of solutions based on if the solvent is water or not. Aqueous solutions are those where the solvent is water. Sugar in water, carbon dioxide in water, etc. are examples. Non-Aqueous Solutions do not use water as a solvent.
Q5
The concentrated solution is more powerful than regular solutions. If they’ve been heated for a long period, there’s a potential they’ll become more powerful and concentrated, making them more difficult to handle.
When one substance dissolves into another, a solution is formed. A solution is a homogenous mixture consisting of a solute dissolved into a solvent. The solute is the substance that is being dissolved, while the solvent is the dissolving medium. Solutions can be formed with many different types and forms of solutes and solvents. In this chapter, we will focus on solution where the solvent is water. An aqueous solution is water that contains one or more dissolved substance. The dissolved substances in an aqueous solution may be solids, gases, or other liquids.
In order to be a true solution, a mixture must be stable. When sugar is fully dissolved into water, it can stand for an indefinite amount of time, and the sugar will not settle out of the solution. Further, if the sugar-water solution is passed through a filter, it will remain with the water. This is because the dissolved particles in a solution are very small, usually less than \(1 \: \text{nm}\) in diameter. Solute particles can be atoms, ions, or molecules, depending on the type of substance that has been dissolved.
Figure \(\PageIndex{1}\): When a colored solution is passed through a filter, the entire solution, both solute and solvent, pass through unchanged.Water typically dissolves most ionic compounds and polar molecules. Nonpolar molecules, such as those found in grease or oil, do not dissolve in water. We will first examine the process that occurs when an ionic compound, such as table salt (sodium chloride), dissolves in water.
Water molecules move about continuously due to their kinetic energy. When a crystal of sodium chloride is placed into water, the water's molecules collide with the crystal lattice. Recall that the crystal lattice is composed of alternating positive and negative ions. Water is attracted to the sodium chloride crystal because water is polar; it has both a positive and a negative end. The positively charged sodium ions in the crystal attract the oxygen end of the water molecules because they are partially negative. The negatively charged chloride ions in the crystal attract the hydrogen end of the water molecules because they are partially positive. The action of the polar water molecules takes the crystal lattice apart (see figure below).
Figure \(\PageIndex{2}\): The process of an ionic sodium chloride crystal being dissolved and hydrated by water.After coming apart from the crystal, the individual ions are then surrounded by solvent particles in a process called solvation. Note in the figure above that the individual \(\ce{Na^+}\) ions are surrounded by water molecules with the oxygen atom oriented near the positive ion. Likewise, the chloride ions are surrounded by water molecules with the opposite orientation. Hydration is the process of solute particles being surrounded by water molecules arranged in a specific manner. Hydration helps to stabilize aqueous solutions by preventing the positive and negative ions from coming back together and forming a precipitate.
Table sugar is made of the molecular compound sucrose \(\left( \ce{C_{12}H_{22}O_{11}} \right)\). Solid sugar consists of individual sugar molecules held together by intermolecular attractive forces. When water dissolves sugar, it separates the individual sugar molecules by disrupting the attractive forces, but it does not break the covalent bonds between the carbon, hydrogen, and oxygen atoms. Dissolved sugar molecules are also hydrated. The hydration shell around a molecule of sucrose is arranged so that its partially negative oxygen atoms are near the partially positive hydrogen atoms in the solvent, and vice versa.
Not all compounds dissolve well in water. Some ionic compounds, such as calcium carbonate \(\left( \ce{CaCO_3} \right)\) and silver chloride \(\left( \ce{AgCl} \right)\), are nearly insoluble. This is because the attractions between the ions in the crystal lattice are stronger than the attraction that the water molecules have for the ions. As a result, the crystal remains intact. The solubility of ionic compounds can be predicted using the solubility rules as shown in Table \(\PageIndex{1}\).
Table \(\PageIndex{1}\): Solubility rules for ionic compounds in water.
Nonpolar compounds also do not dissolve in water. The attractive forces that operate between the particles in a nonpolar compound are weak dispersion forces. In order for a nonpolar molecule to dissolve in water, it would need to break up some of the hydrogen bonds between adjacent water molecules. In the case of an ionic substance, these favorable interactions are replaced by other attractive interactions between the ions and the partial charges on water. However, interactions between nonpolar molecules and water are less favorable than the interactions that water makes with itself. When a nonpolar liquid such as oil is mixed with water, two separate layers form, because the liquids will not dissolve into each other (see figure below). When a polar liquid like ethanol is mixed with water, they completely blend and dissolve into one another. Liquids that dissolve in one another in all proportions are said to be miscible. Liquids that do not dissolve in one another are called immiscible. The general rule for deciding if one substance is capable of dissolving another is "like dissolves like", where the property being compared is the overall polarity of the substance. For example, a nonpolar solid such as iodine will dissolve in nonpolar lighter fluid, but it will not dissolve in polar water.
Figure \(\PageIndex{3}\): Water and oil form separate layers when they are mixed because the nonpolar oil will not dissolve into the polar water. The oil forms the top layer because it is less dense than water.