Question

Which of the following is an example of a gaseous solution?
a.) Camphor in nitrogen gas
b.) Solution of hydrogen in palladium
c.) Chloroform mixed with nitrogen gas
d.) Both (A) and (C)

Answer 1

Hint: There are 3 states of matter – solid, liquid and gas. Gaseous solutions can only be made if the solution formed after mixing the solute and the solvent is gaseous in nature. If not, it cannot be called a gaseous solution.

Complete step by step answer:
-Matter has 3 states which are different in characteristics from one another. Solids have fixed shape and volume. Liquids have fixed volume but not fixed shape. Gases neither have fixed shape nor fixed volume.
-Solution is a mixture obtained as a result of combining a solute into a solvent. A solute is a substance which gets dissolved to form a homogeneous mixture. Solvent is a substance which dissolves the solute into it to form a solution.
-As there are 3 states of matter, solutions can also be of 3 types – Solid, liquid and gas. The state of solution depends on the solvent and not on solute. If a solvent is solid, then the solution is a solid solution. If the solvent is gas, then the solution is a gaseous solution. If the solvent is liquid, the solution is a liquid solution.
-Solid solution is the one in which the solvent is solid. Solute can be of any state. Similarly in liquid and gaseous solutions, solute can be of any state. Solvent must be liquid and gas respectively.

-Thus, gaseous solutions are those in which the solvent is gaseous in phase and solute is in any phase. Observing the solutions given in the question, we can find which of the following will be a gaseous solution.

- The first solution is camphor in nitrogen gas. Here, nitrogen gas is solvent and camphor is solute. Camphor is solid in state. It forms a solution in gases due to its property of sublimation. It directly converts from solid state to gaseous state without converting into liquid state. This gives camphor the ability to form gaseous solution with nitrogen gas.

-The second solution is a solution of hydrogen in palladium. Here we see that hydrogen is solute and not solvent. Solvent here is palladium which is solid in state. So this solution is not a gaseous solution. It is a solid solution.

-The next solution is chloroform mixed with nitrogen gas. In this solution, both of the compounds are gaseous in nature. Nitrogen acts as solvent and chloroform as solute. So it also forms a gaseous solution.
So, the correct answer is “Option D”.

Note: There is a difference between a solution and a mixture. If solute and solvent both combine with one another such that they cannot be separated directly, then they form a solution. If solute and solvent combine such that they can be separated by physical means, they are a mixture and not a solution. Thus, all solutions are mixtures but all mixtures are not solutions. Homogeneous mixtures are only called solutions.