If you're seeing this message, it means we're having trouble loading external resources on our website. If you're behind a web filter, please make sure that the domains *.kastatic.org and *.kasandbox.org are unblocked. Science >> Chemistry for Kids Solutions and Dissolving What is a solution?A solution is a specific type of mixture where one substance is dissolved into another. A solution is the same, or uniform, throughout which makes it a homogeneous mixture . Go here to learn more about mixtures. A solution has certain characteristics:
One example of a solution is salt water which is a mixture of water and salt. You cannot see the salt and the salt and water will stay a solution if left alone. Parts of a Solution
A solution is a type of homogeneous mixture Dissolving A solution is made when one substance called the solute "dissolves" into another substance called the solvent. Dissolving is when the solute breaks up from a larger crystal of molecules into much smaller groups or individual molecules. This break up is caused by coming into contact with the solvent. In the case of salt water, the water molecules break off salt molecules from the larger crystal lattice. They do this by pulling away the ions and then surrounding the salt molecules. Each salt molecule still exists. It is just now surrounded by water molecules instead of fixed to a crystal of salt. Solubility Solubility is a measure of how much solute can be dissolved into a liter of solvent. Think of the example of water and salt. If you keep pouring salt into water, at some point the water isn't going to be able to dissolve the salt. Saturated When a solution reaches the point where it cannot dissolve any more solute it is considered "saturated." If a saturated solution loses some solvent, then solid crystals of the solute will start to form. This is what happens when water evaporates and salt crystals begin to form. Concentration The concentration of a solution is the proportion of the solute to solvent. If there is a lot of solute in a solution, then it is "concentrated". If there is a low amount of solute, then the solution is said to be "diluted." Miscible and immiscible When two liquids can be mixed to form a solution they are called "miscible." If two liquids cannot be mixed to form a solution they are called "immiscible." An example of miscible liquids is alcohol and water. An example of immiscible liquids is oil and water. Have you ever heard the saying "oil and water don't mix"? This is because they are immiscible. Interesting Facts about Solutions
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