Question #3c69b

1 Answer
Mar 15, 2017

Yes!

Explanation:

The trick here is actually the solubility of the solute.

As you know, a saturated solution is a solution in which an equilibrium exists between the undissolved solid and the dissolved ions.

In other words, a saturated solution will contain the maximum amount of dissolved solid at a given temperature. This maximum amount is the solubility of the salt at that temperature.

Now, a diluted solution is simply a solution that contains relatively small amounts of solute compared to the amount of solvent.

Consequently, the term "diluted" does not carry any meaningful information about just how much solute is present in the solution, it just tells you that you have "much" more solvent than solute.

So, let's say that you have #"100 g"# of water at room temperature. If you take a salt that has a high solubility in water at that temperature, let's say #"50 g / 100 g H"_2"O"#, you can make a saturated solution that contains a lot of dissolved solute.

In this case, the solution will be saturated and concentrated because it contains the maximum amount of solute that can be dissolved at that temperature, i.e. #"50 g"#, and a relatively high amount of solute compared to the solvent, i.e. #"50 g"# vs #"100 g"#.

On the other hand, if you take a salt that has a low solubility in water at that temperature, let's say #"1 g / 100 g H"_2"O"#, you can make a saturated solution that doesn't contain a lot of dissolved solute.

In this case, the solution will be saturated and dilute because it contains the maximum amount of solute that can be dissolved at that temperature, i.e. #"1 g"#, and a relatively low amount of solute compared to the the solvent, i.e. #"1 g"# vs #"100 g"#.

So remember, saturation is an absolute term because it depends exclusively on the solubility of the salt at a given temperature.

On the other hand, concentration/dilution are relative terms because they depend on the relative amount of solute present compared to the amount of solvent.