Skip to content
Grades 6 and 7 Beginner About 15 min Version 1 Awaiting review Premium

Dissolving: how much can water hold?

When a solid dissolves, it breaks into particles too small to see and spreads through the liquid. The result is a solution. The solid is the solute, and the liquid (here, water) is the solvent. Some solids do not dissolve at all. Even a solid that dissolves has a limit: after a certain amount, the water cannot hold any more.

What you will learn

  • Tell the difference between soluble and insoluble solids.
  • Describe what happens to a solute when it dissolves.
  • Explain what a saturated solution is.

Before you start

  • Know that grams (g) measure mass and millilitres (mL) measure volume.

Materials

  • Water (50 mL in each beaker)
  • Table salt
  • Sugar
  • Sand

Equipment

  • 3 beakers (100 mL)
  • Spoon that holds 5 g
  • Stirring rod

Procedure

  1. Each beaker already holds 50 mL of water.
  2. Add 5 g of salt to Beaker A, 5 g of sugar to Beaker B and 5 g of sand to Beaker C.
  3. Stir each beaker and observe.
  4. Keep adding salt to Beaker A, 5 g at a time, stirring after each spoonful, until no more will dissolve.

How this simulation is simplified

  • The water is at room temperature (about 20 °C). Warm water would dissolve more.
  • 50 mL of water dissolves about 18 g of salt here. Real values depend on temperature and the type of salt.
  • Dissolving happens straight away when you stir. In real life it can take a minute or two.
  • The volume of the added solids is ignored.