Supersaturation

The supersaturation of sugar in water allows for rock candy to

form.
Enormous, highly pure, single crystal substances can be grown
from a solution at the metastable boundary between an unsaturated and supersaturated solution(Homogenous mixture). Here,
a monopotassium phosphate crystal grown to create frequency
doubling optics for the NIF laser.

Supersaturation is a state of a solution that contains

more of the dissolved material than could be dissolved
by the solvent under normal circumstances. It can also
refer to a vapor of a compound that has a higher (partial)
pressure than the vapor pressure of that compound.
Example of Supersaturation and Undersaturation due to Heating
or Cooling.

Condensation

Very small particles (seeds) can trigger the separation of

the dissolved material from the solvent or condensation
of the vapor. Seeds triggering the conversion of vapor
are referred to as condensation nuclei, as in the case of
water vapor. In the solid form these seeds can lead to the
formation of crystallites or even large single crystals.

Preparation
Example of Supersaturation and Undersaturation due to Production or Consumption (e.g., photosynthesis consumes carbon dioxide and produces oxygen, whereas respiration consumes oxygen
and produces carbon dioxide)

Supersaturated solutions are prepared or result when

some condition of a saturated solution is changed, for
example decreasing (or, rarely, increasing) temperature,
decreasing volume of the saturated solvent (as by liquid
evaporation), or increasing pressure.
1

Example of Supersaturation and Undersaturation due to Pressure

increases or decreases. Causes may be due to: (1) Changes in air
pressure (e.g., bubbles, storm systems); (2) Changes in gas mixing
ratio (e.g., fossil fuel CO2 pollutants)

Examples

Carbonated water is a supersaturated solution of carbon

dioxide gas in water. At the elevated pressure in the
bottle, more carbon dioxide can dissolve in water than
at atmospheric pressure. At atmospheric pressure, the
carbon dioxide gas escapes very slowly from the supersaturated liquid. This process may be accelerated by the
presence of nucleation sites within the solution, such as
small bubbles, caused by shaking the bottle, or another
solute, such as sugar powder or a widget. A Diet Coke
and Mentos eruption is a rather extreme example. Some
beverage products such as ales and stouts, e.g. Guinness,
rely on this eect to produce the 'head' on the surface
of the poured product. This has led to the invention of
the widget, a device developed to produce enhanced bubble seeding in liquids, especially with dual supersaturated
gas phases (carbon dioxide and nitrogen) (see patents by
Nicholas Fitzpatrick and Kuzniarski).
Scuba divers tissues become saturated with breathing
gases during a dive. Supersaturation is a theoretical term
describing a state in which the tension of a dissolved
gas is greater than its inspired partial pressure when the
diver ascends, in contrast to Henrys law.[1] If the diver
ascends too fast, these gases form bubbles, resulting in
decompression sickness.[2] The term was popularized by
J.S. Haldane.[1][3]
In air that is supersaturated, water droplets may precipitate upon being disturbed. This can be observed in a
cloud chamber. In the more general context a precipitate
may form.
Supersaturated solutions of sugar and water are commonly used to make rock candy.
A supersaturated sodium acetate solution is used in some
types of hand warmers.
Supersaturation has also been gaining momentum as a
formulation concept in pharmaceutical sciences. Socalled supersaturating drug delivery systems (SSDS) are

REFERENCES

a promising to obtain adequate oral bioavailability of

poorly water- soluble drugs. Contemporary pharmaceutical pipelines are often highly populated with poorly
water-soluble drug candidates necessitating novel formulation technologies to provide dosage forms with appropriate biopharmaceutical properties. SDDS contain the
drug in a high energy or otherwise rapidly dissolving form
such that intraluminal concentrations above the saturation solubility of the drug are generated. For the strategy to be useful, the formed supersaturated solution must
then be stabilized to allow for signicant absorption and
eventually sucient bioavailability. The stabilization of
a supersaturated solution can be accomplished by adding
precipitation inhibitors which may act through a variety
of mechanisms.[4]

4 Gallery

5 See also
Supercooling
Superheating
Supersaturated design

6 References
[1] Glossary of diving and hyperbaric terms. Undersea and
Hyperbaric Medical Society. 1978. ISBN 0-930406-01X.
[2] Thalmann ED, Parker EC, Survanshi SS, Weathersby PK
(1997). Improved probabilistic decompression model
risk predictions using linear-exponential kinetics. Undersea and Hyperbaric Medicine 24 (4): 25574. PMID
9444058. Retrieved 2009-03-11.
[3] Boycott, A. E.; G. C. C. Damant, John Scott HalThe Prevention of Compresseddane.
(1908).
air Illness. Journal of Hygiene 8 (3): 342443.
doi:10.1017/S0022172400003399.
PMC 2167126.
PMID 20474365. Retrieved 2009-05-31.
[4] http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/jps.21650/
full

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