FACTORS THAT AFFECT SOLUBILITY Molecule Size: Small molecules are often more soluble than larger molecules. Temperature: When a solid dissolves in a liquid, energy is needed to break the strong bonds between particles in the solid. At higher temperatures, more energy is present. Thus, the solubility of most solids increases with temperature. The interactions between particles in a liquid are not as strong as the interactions between particles in a solid. No additional energy is needed to dissolve a liquid in a liquid, thus, the solubility of most liquids is not greatly affected by temperature. Gas particles have a great deal of kinetic energy. When a gas dissolves in a liquid, it loses some energy. At higher temperatures, the dissolved gas gains energy again, the gas comes out of the solution and is less soluble. Thus, the solubility of gases decreases with higher temperatures. The solubility of a solute at any temperature can be determined by using a solubility curve on a graph of solubility against temperature. Pressure: Changes in pressure have little effect on solid and liquid solutions. The solubility of the gas is directly proportional to the pressure of the gas above the liquid. See Fig. 8.13 SOLUBILITY IN LIQUIDS An ionic crystal like potassium chloride is extremely polar there is a large difference in electronegativity – K+ Cl- A substance such as water is polar but it is not ionic – there is a significant difference between the electronegativities of oxygen and hydrogen. A substance such as CCl4 has a small difference in electronegativity (between C and Cl) but the molecule is non-polar, due to its shape. A substance such as I2 is non-polar, there is an equal sharing of electrons Rule of thumb: LIKE DISSOLVES LIKE Example: KCl will dissolve in H2O but not in CCl4 I2 will dissolve in CCl4 but not in H2O