Concentration

:For the psychological concept, see attention. For the game, see Concentration (game), for the game show, see Concentration (game show).

Related Topics:
Attention - Concentration (game) - Concentration (game show)

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Concentration is a very common concept used in chemistry and related fields. It is the measure of how much of a given substance there is mixed with another substance. This can apply to any sort of chemical mixture, but most frequently is used in relation to solutions, where it refers to the amount of solute dissolved in a solvent.

Related Topics:
Chemistry - Substance - Mixture - Solution

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

To concentrate a solution, one must add more solute, or reduce the amount of solvent (for instance, by selective evaporation). By contrast, to dilute a solution, one must add more solvent, or reduce the amount of solute.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

There exists a concentration at which no further solute will dissolve in a solution. At this point, the solution is said to be saturated. If additional solute is added to a saturated solution, it will not dissolve. Instead, phase separation will occur, leading to either coexisting phases or a suspension. The point of saturation depends on many variables such as ambient temperature and the precise chemical nature of the solvent and solute.

Related Topics:
Saturated - Phase separation - Suspension

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Concentration may be expressed both qualitatively ('informally') or quantitatively ('numerically').

Related Topics:
Qualitatively - Quantitatively

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~