SOLUBILITY------Introduction and Summary

Have you ever wondered why oil and water don't mix while sugar and water do? The answer to
that question, and many others, comes from an analysis of the factors affecting solubility--the
propensity of a solute to form a solution with a given solvent. A thermodynamic cycle constructed
for the formation of a solution shows that a solution will form when the strength of the interaction
(from dipole-dipole, van der Waals, hydrogen bonding, etc.) between solvent and solute is
greater than the energies of the separated solute and solvent. The strength of that solute-solvent
interaction is largely determined by the structures of the solvent and the solute. Like dissolves
like--only solutes with similar properties or structural features in common with the solvent will be
dissolved.
The solubility of solids in aqueous solution, generally increases with the temperature of the
solution. There are a few exceptions to this rule, such as Na2SO4 and all gasses. That
temperature effect is governed by the entropy of solution. Solids become less ordered when
dissolved in water giving a positive Ssoln. Because G = H - TS, a positive entropy term will
lead to an increase in solubility with increasing temperature. Gasses become more ordered when
dissolved in water (due to the large negative change in volume for the gas) so they have
negative entropies of solvation Therefore, gasses have a decreasing solubility with increasing
temperature.
However, it is possible to increase the solubility of a gas in a given solvent by increasing the
pressure of the gas above the solvent. That effect reduces the size of the negative entropy of
solvation for gasses by increasing the order of the gas in the gas phase. The equation that
describes this effect is called Henry's law.
Terms
Concentration - The amount of solute dissolved in a given amount of solvent.
Dissolve - To become a part of a solution.
Enthalpy of Solution - The amount of heat absorbed upon the formation of a solution by a
solute and a solvent.
Entropy of Solution - The amount of disorder created by the formation of a solution by a solute
and a solvent.
Henry's Law - The solubility of a gas in a solvent is proportional to the pressure of the gas
above the solvent.
Le Chatelier's Principle - A system at equilibrium will react to a change by opposing that
change.
Non-polar - A molecule with a low net dipole.
Polar - A molecule with a large net dipole.
Solubility - The amount of a particular solute that can dissolve in a given amount of a particular
solvent. Solubilities are generally listed in g / L.
Solute - A minor component of a solution.
Solution - A homogeneous mixture.
Solvent - The major component of a solution.

Solution Formation
To understand why things dissolve at all, we will look at the solution formation process from a
thermodynamic point of view. shows a thermodynamic cycle that represents the formation of a
solution from the isolated solute and solvent. From Hess's law we know that we can add the
energies of each step in the cycle to determine the energy of the overall process. Therefore, the
energy of solution formation, the enthalpy of solution, equals the sum of the three steps--Hsoln =
H1 + H2 + H3.