Grade 7 Science

Solutions
Solutions… a review
 A homogeneous mixture ie.
they appear as ONE
substance
Examples: tap water,
vinegar, gold jewelry, etc.
Solutions have 2 parts:

Solute Solvent
 The substance  The substance in
that dissolves which the solute
(found in less dissolves (found
amounts) in the greatest
amounts)
Dissolving...

 To mix completely ie. the

solute dissolves into the
solvent.
 Some substances are able to
dissolve better than others.
 The Particle Theory of
Matter states that “there
are attractive forces
between the particles”.
 In order to dissolve, the
particles must be more
strongly attracted to the
particles of the solvent than
to themselves. This means
that the solute is soluble in
that solvent.
 If the particles of the solute
are more attracted to their
own particles than the
solvent particles, dissolving
does NOT occur. The solute
is said to be insoluble in that
solvent. (ie. Mechanical)
Soluble or Insoluble?

soluble

insoluble
Solvent or Not?
Some materials are good
solvents for some solutes
but not others. For
example, oil is insoluble in
water but soluble in
gasoline.
States of Solutes and
Solvents
Air
Solute: oxygen, carbon
dioxide, other gases Gas

Solvent: nitrogen Gas

 Soda
Solute: carbon dioxide Gas
Solvent: water Liquid
 Vinegar
Solute: acetic acid Liquid
Solvent: water Liquid
Filtered Sea Water
Solute: Salt and
Solid
other minerals
Solvent: Water Liquid
 Brass
Solute: zinc Solid
Solvent: copper Solid
**Alloy: Solutions made
from two or more metals.
Rate of Dissolving…
Factors that affect the rate of
dissolving include:
 Size of the solute
 Temperature
 Pressure
Size of Solute
The smaller the solute
particles, the quicker they
will dissolve
faster
Temperature
The higher the temperature,
the more solute and the
faster the solute will
dissolve faster
 Pressure
Gases are more soluble in
liquids under higher pressure
(see page 267)
Opened bottle
decreases pressure
and “bubbles” come
out of solution
Separation
Techniques
Mechanical Sorting:
Used to separate the parts
of a mixture based on
properties such as particle
size.
Examples: floatation &
magnetism
 magnetism

floatation
Filtration:
 A common way to
separate solid particles
from a mixture
 The filters can have holes
of varying sizes… small to
microscopic.
 Coffee filter Oil filter

Colander
Furnace filter
Evaporation:
 Change of state from a
liquid to a gas.
 Used to recover a solid
solute from a solution.
Distillation:
 Uses two changes of
state: evaporation and
condensation.
 It allows you to recover
BOTH the solute and
solvent from a solution.
 Condensation

Evaporation
Paper Chromatography:
 Used to separate the
colored substances in a
mixture such as ink.
 Used to separate the
solvents in a mixture.
Separation Techniques
in the Home:
 Colanders
 Clothes dryers
 Window screens
 Coffee percolators
 Salad spinners
Any others?
 Distillation: A Review
A method of separation that
allows you to recover a single
solute and a single solvent.
The mixture must boil so that
the solvent can evaporate and
then cooled so that it can
condense back into a liquid.
Distillation Apparatus

Evaporatio
Condensati
n
on

Boil
Types of Distillations:
Simple Distillation
 Separates a single solute
from its solvent.
Fractional Distillation
 Separates a mixture of
liquids based on their
varying boiling points.