Carbonated beverages provide a nice illustration of this relationship. Gas solubility increases as the pressure of the gas increases. The solubility of a gaseous solute is also affected by the partial pressure of solute in the gas to which the solution is exposed. (credit a: modification of work by Liz West credit b: modification of work by U.S. (b) The decreased solubility of oxygen in natural waters subjected to thermal pollution can result in large-scale fish kills. This inverse relation between temperature and dissolved gas concentration is responsible for one of the major impacts of thermal pollution in natural waters.ДЇigure 11.9 (a) The small bubbles of air in this glass of chilled water formed when the water warmed to room temperature and the solubility of its dissolved air decreased. Temperature is another factor affecting solubility, with gas solubility typically decreasing as temperature increases ( Figure 11.8). Likewise note the solubility of oxygen in hexane, C 6H 14, is approximately 20 times greater than it is in water because greater dispersion forces exist between oxygen and the larger hexane molecules. For example, the water solubility of oxygen is approximately three times greater than that of helium (there are greater dispersion forces between water and the larger oxygen molecules) but 100 times less than the solubility of chloromethane, CHCl 3 (polar chloromethane molecules experience dipoleвЂ“dipole attraction to polar water molecules). Consequently, solute-solvent interactions are the sole energetic factor affecting solubility. Unlike solid and liquid solutes, however, there is no solute-solute intermolecular attraction to overcome when a gaseous solute dissolves in a liquid solvent (see Figure 11.4) since the atoms or molecules comprising a gas are far separated and experience negligible interactions. Solutions of Gases in LiquidsДЄs for any solution, the solubility of a gas in a liquid is affected by the intermolecular attractive forces between solute and solvent species. Watch this impressive video showing the precipitation of sodium acetate from a supersaturated solution. A solution that contains a relatively low concentration of solute is called dilute, and one with a relatively high concentration is called concentrated. If the soluteвЂ™s concentration is less than its solubility, the solution is said to be unsaturated. When a soluteвЂ™s concentration is equal to its solubility, the solution is said to be saturated with that solute. The solubility of a solute in a particular solvent is the maximum concentration that may be achieved under given conditions when the dissolution process is at equilibrium. The concentration of sugar in the solution at this point is known as its solubility. You can be certain that you have reached this limit because, no matter how long you stir the solution, undissolved sugar remains. You can repeat this process until the sugar concentration of the solution reaches its natural limit, a limit determined primarily by the relative strengths of the solute-solute, solute-solvent, and solvent-solvent attractive forces discussed in the previous two modules of this chapter. Imagine adding a small amount of sugar to a glass of water, stirring until all the sugar has dissolved, and then adding a bit more. Explain the degrees of solubility possible for liquid-liquid solutions.State HenryвЂ™s law and use it in calculations involving the solubility of a gas in a liquid.Describe the effects of temperature and pressure on solubility.By the end of this section, you will be able to:

Solubility answer key