Crystals are made using supersaturated solutions of solids in water. These solutions hold more of the solute than they would at room temperature. How are these solutions made? (1 point) Responses The water is heated to a higher temperature, which gives molecules and ions more kinetic energy, increasing solubility. The water is heated to a higher temperature, which gives molecules and ions more kinetic energy, increasing solubility. The water is heated to a higher temperature, which takes kinetic energy away from molecules and ions, increasing solubility. The water is heated to a higher temperature, which takes kinetic energy away from molecules and ions, increasing solubility. The water needs to be chilled to a lower temperature, which takes kinetic energy away from molecules and ions, increasing solubility. The water needs to be chilled to a lower temperature, which takes kinetic energy away from molecules and ions, increasing solubility. The water needs to be chilled to a lower temperature, which gives molecules and ions more kinetic energy, increasing solubility.
The water is heated to a higher temperature, which gives molecules and ions more kinetic energy, increasing solubility.
The water is heated to a higher temperature, which gives molecules and ions more kinetic energy, increasing solubility.
The correct answer is:
The water needs to be chilled to a lower temperature, which takes kinetic energy away from molecules and ions, increasing solubility.
To understand why supersaturated solutions are made by chilling the water to a lower temperature, let's step through the process of solution formation:
1. Initially, the solute (solid) is added to the solvent (water) and mixed. At this point, the solute particles may not dissolve completely, leading to an unsaturated solution.
2. By heating the mixture to a higher temperature, the water molecules gain kinetic energy. The increased kinetic energy helps break the intermolecular forces within the solute, increasing its solubility. However, this is not the correct method for making supersaturated solutions.
3. The solute is dissolved by adding more and more of it to the solvent while keeping the temperature constant. Eventually, a point is reached where no more solute can dissolve into the solvent, creating a saturated solution.
4. To create a supersaturated solution, the saturated solution obtained in the previous step is then chilled or cooled to a lower temperature. As the temperature decreases, the kinetic energy of the water molecules decreases. This reduction in kinetic energy makes it harder for the solute particles to come back out of the solution, increasing solubility beyond what would be expected at that temperature.
In summary, supersaturated solutions are made by dissolving a solute in a solvent at a higher temperature, creating a saturated solution, and then chilling the solution to a lower temperature. This process reduces the kinetic energy of the solvent molecules, making it possible for more solute to stay dissolved in the solution than is typically possible at that temperature.