Solutions and Colloidal Dispersions
Introduction
Have you ever tried to ponder what are there in what we have around us and within us? Chemistry gives us a lot of things which make up the wonders of almost all the things around us and within us. These are through the chemical reactions most of them are busy with for us to enjoy our lives. Chemistry involves the study of matter. From the previous discussions, you have learned that matter is anything that occupies space and has mass. It is classified into pure substances and mixtures. In this lesson we are going to take a closer look of mixtures.
Solutions and Colloidal dispersions are types of mixtures which are considered very important in the world we all exist and live and within our own bodies as life processes. We have blood that transports nutrients and oxygen to our cells and urine that carries away wastes products.
Almost 70% of the earth’s surface make up the oceans, rivers, lakes and other bodies of water. They are solutions of different concentration of water and sodium chloride with many other substances. Most of the chemical reactions take place in solutions.
A mixture is the combination of two or more unreacting substances. Chemists classify homogeneous matter into two categories: pure substances and solutions. Solutions are homogeneous mixtures made up of two or more substances. A solution is a mixture with two or more components called solute and solvent. Normally we think of solutions as liquids but there are several solutions in solid and gaseous forms. Take note that the final state of a solution is the same with the initial state of solvent
If the solute is evenly distributed throughout the solvent, the solution is a homogeneous mixture. In some instances, some substances mix with solvents forming suspensions but not solutions. Vinegar and Oil, homogenized milk (butter fat in water) and dust particles in water are examples of suspensions.
What is solubility when we talk about mixtures?
Solution is formed by adding small amounts of substances and stirred. If the substances completely dissolve in the solvent and form solutions they are described as soluble. Substances that do not dissolve in a given solvent are insoluble.
Solubility is the maximum amount of solute that can be dissolved in a specific amount of solvent at a specific temperature. It is described as saturated and unsaturated. A solution is saturated when a maximum amount of solute has been dissolved in a quantity of solvent. The dissolving of solute process. Solution where more solute is dissolved is supersaturated.
