Courses
Courses for Kids
Free study material
Offline Centres
More
Store Icon
Store
seo-qna
SearchIcon
banner

What do you mean by a saturated solution?

Answer
VerifiedVerified
441.9k+ views
like imagedislike image
Hint: When one substance, the solute, dissolves into another substance, the solvent, a solution is formed. When a solute dissolves, it splits into smaller units or individual molecules from a larger crystal of molecules.

Complete step-by-step answer:
Solutions can be broadly divided into two types based on the type of saturation of the solution. The two types are Saturated Solution and Unsaturated Solution.

Saturation refers to the ability to retain as much moisture as possible. We should soak the houseplants until the soil surrounding each one is saturated while watering them. The noun saturation refers to the act of totally immersing something in water until it has absorbed all of the water.

A saturated solution is a chemical solution in which no more material or solute can be dissolved in the solvent. A saturated solution contains the highest volume of material or solute that can be dissolved in the solvent. The excess solute will not dissolve in a solution that is saturated.

Since we understood the meaning of a saturated solution, let us look at some factors that influence the amount of solute that can be dissolved in a solvent to form a saturated solution.

The following are the factors:
Temperature: When the temperature of the solution increases, the solubility also increases. In hot water, for example, much more salt can be dissolved than in cold water.
Pressure: More solute can be forced into the solution by increasing pressure. This is a popular technique for dissolving gases in liquids.
Chemical Composition: Solubility is affected by the composition of the solute and solvent and of other chemicals in a solution.

Note: The solvent can no longer retain any of the solute molecules as the saturated solution cools, and they continue to leave the solution and form solid crystals. During this cooling, each solute molecule approaches and rests on the surface of a growing crystal.