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Lesson 5 of 13

A glass at its limit

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5 min

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A glass stops taking sugar. A pile sits at the bottom. What is this glass called?

This glass can still take more.
Step 1 of 3
  1. This glass can still take more.
  2. Now it is full. The extra sugar settles.
  3. Cool it and more sugar comes out.

This glass is a solution. It cannot take more sugar at this temperature.

New words

  • Saturated — cannot dissolve any more at that temperature.
  • Unsaturated — can still dissolve more.

The rule

A solution holds all the solute it can at that temperature. An solution can still dissolve more. Cooling a saturated solution of a solid makes some solute come out.

For most solids, a cooler solution has a lower limit. So solute above the new limit comes out. It forms crystals, small hard pieces of solid.

Warm a solution and the pile can dissolve.

Slide the temperature down. Watch the crystals.

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