You have learned that concentration describes the amount of solute in a solution. In this activity, you will learn more about concentration and also about solubility.

Concentration

You will find that manufacturers include the concentration of solutions on the label of many products. That way, people can know how to use a product effectively and safely. Concentration is shown in different ways. One of the most common is in g/L. This unit expresses the mass of solute in 1 L of the solution.

Killex is a liquid herbicide concentrate used to kill weeds in lawns. Below is the label found on a Killex bottle.

One of the ingredients listed is Mecoprop-p. The label says that this product contains 52.52 g/L of Mecoprop-p. This means that there are 52.52 g of Mecoprop-p in 1 L of the product.

Solubility

Solubility is how easily a solute will dissolve in a solvent to make a solution. When a substance will dissolve in a solvent, we say that it is soluble. If a substance will not dissolve, it is said to be insoluble.

Examples of solutions that dissolve easily in a solvent such as water are sugar, salt, alcohol, and some dish washing detergents.

Examples of insoluble substances are sand, plastic, wood, metal, glass, and cloth. These substances never dissolve in water or any other solvent at room temperature and pressure.