How Much Can Dissolve? 
Determining Factors and Measuring How Much

Then there is the question of how much?  How much solute can dissolve in a solvent?   What determines how much solute can dissolve in the solvent? If we would stop and brainstorm for a while, we are certain we would come up with many of these factors.  The size of the solute particles plays an important role.  Big solute particles will presumably be more difficult for solvent molecules to carry about and keep separated homogenously in solution.  The amount of solvent that is available to dissolve the solute also plays a critical role.  But so does the polarity of the particles involved.  Do the solute and solvent easily form intermolecular bonds between each other or not?  We’ll look at the issue of polarity once again as we visit this issue.  See the polarity page for a more in-depth discussion of this issue.  Temperature and pressure will also play important roles in determining the amount of solute that can be dissolved in a given amount of solvent.  

Related to the question of how much, is how do we measure the quantity of solute mixed with the amount of solvent?  There are many ways.  We’ll use terms like saturated, dilute and concentrated to describe in vague terms the amount of solute and solvent.  We’ll be more specific by describing specific solubilities, and using various units for concentration such as % by weight and molarity.  Check out the Concentration page for more details.  For help with the actual calculations check out this web page out.