Aqueous solution

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Aqueous solution

An aqueous solution is a solution

Solution

In chemistry, a solution is a homogeneous mixture composed of two or more substances. In such a mixture, a solute is dissolved in another substance, known as a solvent....
in which the solvent

Solvent

A solvent is a liquid or gas that dissolves a solid, liquid, or gaseous solute, resulting in a solution.The most common solvent in everyday life is water....
is water. It is usually shown in chemical equations by appending (aq) to the relevant formula. The word aqueous means pertaining to, related to, similar to, or dissolved

Solvation

Solvation, commonly called dissolution, is the process of attraction and association of molecules of a solvent with molecules or ions of a solute....
in water

Water (molecule)

File:Blue-water-pool.jpgWater is the most abundant molecule on Earth's surface, constituting about 70% of the Earth's surface in liquid, solid, and gaseous states....
. As water is an excellent solvent

Solvent

A solvent is a liquid or gas that dissolves a solid, liquid, or gaseous solute, resulting in a solution.The most common solvent in everyday life is water....
as well as naturally abundant, it is a ubiquitous solvent in chemistry

Chemistry

Chemistry is the science concerned with the composition, structure, and properties of matter, as well as the changes it undergoes during chemical reactions....
.

Substances that do not dissolve well in water are called hydrophobic ('water fearing') whereas those that do are known as hydrophilic ('water-loving').

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Encyclopedia

An aqueous solution is a solution

Solution

In chemistry, a solution is a homogeneous mixture composed of two or more substances. In such a mixture, a solute is dissolved in another substance, known as a solvent....
in which the solvent

Solvent

Solvation

Solvation, commonly called dissolution, is the process of attraction and association of molecules of a solvent with molecules or ions of a solute....
in water

Water (molecule)

Solvent

Chemistry

Sodium chloride

Sodium chloride, also known as common salt, table salt, or halite, is a chemical compound with the chemical formula SodiumChlorine....
(ordinary table salt). Acid

Acid

An acid is traditionally considered any chemical compound that, when dissolved in water, gives a solution with a hydrogen ion Activity greater than in pure water, i.e....
s and base

Base (chemistry)

In chemistry, a base is most commonly thought of as an aqueous substance that can accept protons. A base is also often referred to as an alkali if OH- ions are involved....
s are aqueous solutions, as part of their Arrhenius definitions

Acid-base reaction theories

An acid-base reaction is a chemical reaction that occurs between an acid and a base . Several concepts exist which provide alternative definitions for the reaction mechanisms involved and their application in solving related problems....
.

The ability of a substance to dissolve in water is determined by whether the substance can match or exceed the strong attractive forces

Intermolecular force

In physics, chemistry, and biology, intermolecular forces are forces that act between stable molecules or between functional groups of macromolecules....
that water molecules generate between themselves. If the substance lacks the ability to dissolve in water the molecules form a precipitate

Precipitation (chemistry)

Precipitation is the formation of a solid in a solution during a chemical reaction. When the reaction occurs, the solid formed is called the precipitate, and the liquid remaining above the solid is called the supernate....
.

Aqueous solutions that conduct electric current

Electric current

Electric current is the flow of electric charge. The electric charge may be either electrons or ions.The International System of Units unit of electric current intensity is the ampere....
efficiently contain strong electrolyte

Electrolyte

An electrolyte is any substance containing free ions that behaves as an electrical conductor medium. Because they generally consist of ions in solution, electrolytes are also known as ionic solutions, but molten electrolytes and solid electrolytes are also possible....
s, while ones that conduct poorly are considered to have weak electrolytes. Those strong electrolytes are substances that are completely ionised in water, whereas the weak electrolytes exhibit only a small degree of ionisation in water.

Nonelectrolytes are substances that dissolve in water, but which maintain their molecular integrity (do not dissociate into ions). Examples include sugar

Sugar

Sugar is a class of edible crystalline substances, mainly sucrose, lactose, and fructose. Human taste buds interpret its flavor as sweet. Sugar as a basic food carbohydrate primarily comes from sugar cane and from sugar beet, but also appears in fruit, honey, sorghum, sugar maple , and in many other sources....
, urea

Urea

Urea is an organic compound with the chemical formula 2carbonoxygen.Urea is also known by the International Nonproprietary Name carbamide, as established by the World Health Organization....
, glycerol

Glycerol

Glycerol is a chemical compound also commonly called glycerin or glycerine. It is a colorless, odorless, Viscosity liquid that is widely used in pharmaceutical formulations....
, and methylsulfonylmethane

Methylsulfonylmethane

Methylsulfonylmethane , also known as dimethyl sulfone, is an organosulfur compound with the chemical formula 2SO2. This colourless solid features the sulfone functional group and is considered relatively inert chemically....
(MSM).

When performing calculations regarding the reacting

Chemical reaction

A chemical reaction is a process that always results in the interconversion of chemical substances. The substance or substances initially involved in a chemical reaction are called reactants....
of one or more aqueous solutions, one generally must know the concentration

Concentration

In chemistry, concentration is the measure of how much of a given chemical substance there is mixed with another substance. This can apply to any sort of chemical mixture, but most frequently the concept is limited to homogeneous solutions, where it refers to the amount of solute in the solvent....
, or molarity, of the aqueous solutions. Solution concentration is given in terms of the form of the solute prior to it dissolving.

Aqueous solubility

These are simple guidelines for determining solubility

Solubility chart

A blue solubility chart refers to a chart with a list of ions and how, when mixed with other ions, they can become precipitates or remain aqueous....
.

All compounds with Na⁺, K⁺, NH₄⁺ ions are soluble in water.
All nitrates (NO₃^-) and acetates (CH₃COO^-) are soluble in water.
Most chlorides (Cl^-) and sulfates (SO₄^2-) are soluble in water. Except the following: AgCl, PbCl₂, Hg₂Cl₂, BaSO₄, PbSO₄ and CaSO₄.
Most carbonates (CO₃^2-), phosphates (PO₄^3-), sulfides (S^2-), and hydroxides (OH^-) are insoluble in water. Exceptions are LiOH, NaOH, KOH, NH_3(aq), Na₂HPO₄ and NaH₂PO₄.

Aqueous solution

Aqueous solubility

See also