Lab 13 How Much Solute Dissolves in a Solvent

A saturated solution is a solution that can not dissolve anymore solute. If you see the solute start to settle to the bottom, the solution is saturated. An unsaturated solution is one that is not holding all the solute it can dissolve.

Solubility is how much solute will dissolve at a given temperature and pressure. Temperature and pressure both affect solubility and can change it.

Example: If you heat a substance, more of it will dissolve because solubility is greater at higher temperatures. If you break a substance into smaller pieces, it will dissolve faster because more surface area is coming in contact with the solvent.

Sometimes, shaking a substance up will also cause it to dissolve.

What do I need for this lab? Graduated cylinder Beaker Sodium chloride test tubes Sodium nitrate stopper Water Scoop Balance

Procedure Get mass of sodium nitrate jar and record Get mass of sodium chloride jar and record Pour 10 ml of water into each test tube Put 1 scoop of sodium chloride into one tube and shake until it dissolves. Shake a lot and shake several times.

Continue adding one scoop at a time and shaking until sodium chloride dissolves. When no more salt will dissolve (you will see it start to collect on the bottom), you have a saturated solution and can stop.

Measure mass of sodium chloride jar after you make the saturated solution and figure out the mass of the salt that dissolved. To get the solubility take the mass of the substance and divide it by the volume of water used. This is its solubility REPEAT procedure for Sodium nitrate.