solubilitystä

Solubility refers to the ability of a substance, the solute, to dissolve in another substance, the solvent, to form a homogeneous solution. It is a fundamental property that describes how much of a solute can be dissolved in a given amount of solvent at a specific temperature and pressure. The extent of solubility is usually expressed as a concentration, such as grams of solute per 100 grams of solvent or moles per liter.

Several factors influence solubility. Temperature plays a significant role; for most solid solutes in liquid solvents, solubility increases with increasing temperature. However, for gases in liquids, solubility typically decreases as temperature rises. Pressure has a notable effect on the solubility of gases in liquids; higher pressures lead to greater solubility, as described by Henry's Law. The nature of both the solute and the solvent is also crucial, often summarized by the principle "like dissolves like." Polar solutes tend to dissolve in polar solvents, while nonpolar solutes dissolve in nonpolar solvents.

When the maximum amount of solute has dissolved in a solvent at a given temperature and pressure, the solution is said to be saturated. A solution containing less than the maximum amount of dissolved solute is unsaturated. In some cases, it is possible to create a supersaturated solution, which contains more dissolved solute than would normally be possible under stable conditions, often by carefully cooling a saturated solution.