Solubility and the quality of what is soluble, that is, it can dissolve when it comes into contact with a solvent substance.
The concept of solubility is present in chemistry, which defines the limiting capacity of dissolution of a given substance (solute) with another that is homogeneous (solvent) such as the solubility coefficient.
For example, when a quantity of salt (solute) is mixed with water (solvent), the solution will be formed from the mixture between these two components. However, if the amount of salt is greater than the solubility coefficient for these substances, the result will be the saturation of the solute, that is, the salt will no longer mix with the water and will be deposited at the bottom of the container.
Therefore, the solubility coefficient is the maximum amount of solute that can be mixed with a given amount of solvent. To determine this value, there are equations and chemical tests that indicate the solubility of each substance, taking into account, for this, some factors, such as the amount of solute, temperature, pressure and the nature of the particles (organic or inorganics). The polarity of the substances that mix also influence the solubility (polar and non-polar substances).
When mixing a solute with a solvent, the solution can have three different types:
- saturated: when it reaches the saturation limit, that is, the solute is in the exact amount of the solubility coefficient;
- unsaturated: when the amount of solute is less than the solubility coefficient;
- oversaturated: when the amount of solute exceeds the solubility coefficient;
It's not just liquids that can mix, as there are also gas mixtures.