Four solutes are added to a solvent. All solutes have the same mass and solubility. The surface areas of four solutes are 2 mm2, 4 mm2, 6 mm2, and 10 mm2. Which solute will dissolve the quickest?
2 mm2
4 mm2
6 mm2
10 mm2
Solutes with the highest surface area dissolve the fastest if everything else is the same.
To determine which solute will dissolve the quickest, we need to consider the surface area-to-volume ratio (SA/V). The higher the SA/V ratio, the quicker the solute will dissolve. The equation to calculate the SA/V ratio is:
SA/V = Surface Area / Volume
Since all solutes have the same mass and solubility, we can assume they have the same volume. Therefore, the solute with the largest surface area will have the highest SA/V ratio and dissolve the quickest.
Comparing the given surface areas:
2 mm2 < 4 mm2 < 6 mm2 < 10 mm2
Therefore, the solute with the surface area of 10 mm2 will dissolve the quickest.