Unit 10: Water and Solutions

Flashcards covering essential concepts and vocabulary related to the properties of water, solution formation, and properties of solutions.

Water

A vital substance necessary for life, existing in all three states: solid, liquid, and gas.

Hydrogen Bond

A weak bond formed between a hydrogen atom and an electronegative atom, responsible for unique properties of water.

Surface Tension

The inward pull that minimizes surface area, creating a film on the surface of water.

Vapor Pressure

The pressure exerted by a vapor in equilibrium with its liquid phase; water has a low vapor pressure for a simple liquid.

Heat Capacity

The energy required to raise the temperature of 1 gram of a substance by 1°C; water has a high heat capacity.

Aqueous Solutions

Solutions in which water is the solvent, capable of dissolving many ionic and polar substances.

Solubility

The amount of solute that can dissolve in a given amount of solvent at a specific temperature.

Unsaturated Solution

A solution that can still dissolve more solute.

Saturated Solution

A solution that has dissolved all the solute it can hold at a given temperature.

Super Saturated Solution

A solution that holds more solute than it should, often formed under special conditions.

Colligative Properties

Properties that depend on the number of solute particles in a solution, not the identity of the solute.

Examples of Colligative Properties

1. Vapor Pressure depression (VP lowers when solute present)

2. Freezing Point depression (FP lowers when solute present)

3. Boiling Point elevation (BP raises when solute present)

Boiling Point Elevation

The increase in the boiling point of a solution compared to that of the pure solvent, caused by the presence of a solute.

Freezing Point Depression

The decrease in the freezing point of a solution compared to that of the pure solvent, caused by the presence of a solute.

Molarity (M)

A measure of concentration defined as the number of moles of solute per liter of solution.

Like dissolves like

The principle that polar solvents dissolve polar solutes and nonpolar solvents dissolve nonpolar solutes.

Solution Formation (and how it’s affected)

How fast a solution forms. Affected by agitation, temperature, and particle size.

Relationships: Temp, Pressure, and Solubility

Solids: Higher temp, higher solubility. Gases: Higher temp, lower solubility. Higher pressure, higher solubility.