I Have a Problem, Give Me the Right Solution
How do we prepare solutions? This is one problem. But I tell you, a kid can make the right solution. There was a time when my six-year old nephew, Nonoy, asked for more iced tea. Everyone was busy at the time, so no one could help him. Without anyone’s knowing, he opened the ref and mixed powdered tea and cold water. He solved his problem, he prepared a solution.
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He mixed cold water and tea powder. He made a solution. So, what do we need to prepare a solution? The tea powder is the solute; the cold water, solvent. Remember the famous line? “Water is a universal solvent.” How much water would you need? Would this be as much as the tea powder? Of course, you need more water than tea powder. In a solution, the one with the greater amount and is used as dissolving a medium is the solvent. The one dissolved and is in smaller amount is the solute.
Can you identify the solutes and solvents in the following examples?
| Solutions | Solvent | Solute |
| 1. Seawater (made of salts dissolved in water) | ||
| 2. Vinegar (mixture of acid and water) | ||
| 3. Clean Air (composed of Nitrogen, Oxygen, and other gases) | ||
| 4. Tincture of Iodine (Alcohol + iodine) | ||
| 5. 40% Rubbing Alcohol (A solution of water and alcohol) |
Check your answers. Click here.
In your first year Science, you learned that 78% of the air is Nitrogen. That’s why it is the solvent for a clean air. Alcohol can also be a solvent. There are even many solutes (mostly organic) that are insoluble to water but can be dissolved by alcohol. Tincture is the name of a solution whose solvent is alcohol; aqueous if it is water.
We have once again discussed chemistry. So it’s time to test your abilidad in Kem!
low sir, musta na u…… 5 points kaayo niha? taas kaayo ang quiz namo sir.
Be sure na complete ang about gases and atoms.. Click “Kemikatopics”. You will find there the topics about gases and atoms. Good luck!