Factors Affecting the Rate of Dissolving

When a solid is being dissolved in a liquid to form a solution, the dissolving process may occur rapidly or slowly. Three factors affect the speed of fhe dissolving process surface area, stirring, and temperature. 

The dissolving process is also increased by stirring the solution. Stirring removes newly dissolved particles from the solid surface and continuously exposes the surface to fresh solvent. 

Finally, dissolving occurs more rapidly at higher temperatures. (Sugar dissolves much more rapidly in hot tea than iced tea.) Higher temperatures cause the solvent molecules to move more rapidly, thus increasing the rate of the dissolving process. 

In addition to dissolving faster at higher temperatures, most solids are more soluble at higher temperatures. That is, in most cases more solid will dissolve in water at 90 °C than in water at 25 °C. The opposite is true for gases dissolved in water. The solubility of a gas in water typically decreases as the temperature increases. 

Ellen Swallow Richards was born in Massachusetts in 1842. She was the first woman in America to be accepted to a scientific school, the first woman to attend the Massachusetts institute of Technology (MiT), and the first woman professional chemist in the nation. She spent her professional career in research and teaching at MIT, where she founded the field of home economics. 

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What factors affect the rate of dissolving of a solid in a liquid ... 

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