Adding Solute Crystals to Saturated and Unsaturated Solutions
What happens when a solute crystal is added to a saturated solution?
a. The solute crystal dissolves completely.
b. The solute crystal sinks to the bottom of the container.
What happens when a solute crystal is added to an unsaturated solution?
a. The solute crystal dissolves completely due to supersaturation.
b. The solute crystal floats or sinks to the bottom of the container.
Answer:
When a solute crystal is added to a saturated solution, the solute crystal will not dissolve and will simply sink to the bottom of the container. On the other hand, when a solute crystal is added to an unsaturated solution, it can dissolve completely due to supersaturation or float/sink to the bottom depending on the amount of solute present in the solution.
When a solute crystal is added to a saturated solution, the solution is already holding the maximum amount of solute that it can dissolve at a given temperature. Therefore, any additional solute crystal added will not dissolve and will separate from the solution, sinking to the bottom of the container.
On the other hand, when a solute crystal is added to an unsaturated solution, the solution can still dissolve more solute. If the addition of the solute crystal results in a supersaturation situation, where there is more solute dissolved in the solution than normally possible at that temperature, the solute crystal will dissolve completely. However, if the solution remains unsaturated even after the addition of the solute crystal, the crystal may not dissolve completely and may either float or sink to the bottom of the container.
Understanding the behavior of solute crystals in different types of solutions is important in the study of solubility and solution chemistry.