Student Exploration: Solubility and Temperature

Student Exploration: Solubility and Temperature
Vocabulary: concentration, dissolve, homogeneous mixture, solubility, solubility curve, solute,
solution, solvent
Prior Knowledge Questions (Do these BEFORE using the Gizmo.)
1. What happens when you stir a spoonful of sugar into hot water? The sugar will dissolve.
2. When sugar or another substance is dissolved in water, it disappears from view and forms
a homogeneous mixture with the water, also called a solution.
If you can’t see the sugar, how can you tell that it is there? The color of the water changes
and it will taste different.
3. Does sugar dissolve more easily in hot water or cold water? Sugar dissolves more easily in
hot water.
Gizmo Warm-up
A solution generally consists of two parts, a solute that
is dissolved and a solvent that the solute is dissolved
into. For example, sugar is a solute that is dissolved into
the solvent water. In the Solubility and Temperature
Gizmo™, you will study how temperature affects how
much solute will dissolve in a solution.
To begin, check that Potassium nitrate is selected and
the Temp. of the water is 20 °C. Click OK.
1. In this solution, what is the solute? Potassium nitrate What is the solvent? Water
2. Click Add 10 g to mix 10 g of potassium nitrate into the water.
A. Did all of the potassium nitrate dissolve? Yes
B. How can you tell? You can’t see the potassium nitrate.