Dissolved

Dissolved refers to the state of a substance when it is uniformly distributed in a liquid. The process of dissolving involves the breaking of bonds in the solute and in the solvent to form new bonds between them.

Process of Dissolving

When a solute is added to a solvent, the particles of the solute separate from each other and become surrounded by particles of the solvent in a process called dissolution. This is facilitated by the motion of the particles in the solvent, which collide with the particles of the solute, causing them to spread out and become uniformly distributed.

Factors Affecting Dissolving

Several factors can affect the rate at which a substance dissolves:

• Temperature: Generally, increasing the temperature of the solvent increases the rate at which the solute dissolves.
• Pressure: For gases, increasing the pressure increases the rate of dissolving.
• Surface area: Increasing the surface area of the solute (by crushing or grinding it into a powder, for example) increases the rate of dissolving.

Applications

Dissolving is a critical process in many areas of life and industry, including:

• Pharmaceutical industry: Many drugs are administered in a dissolved form for faster absorption in the body.
• Food and beverage industry: Many products, such as soft drinks and instant coffee, are made by dissolving ingredients in water.
• Water treatment: Dissolving is used in water treatment processes to remove unwanted substances from water.

See Also

• Solubility
• Solution
• Concentration