Dissolution Research Paper

Dissolution is the process that makes solutions. A solution is a homogenous mixture of two or more substances. The solute in the solution is the substance that is dissolved, while the solvent in the solution is the substance that dissolves the solute during dissolution. The question introduced in this lab is “What factors influence the rate at which one substances dissolves in another?” The three factors that affect the rate of dissolution are temperature, how much you stir the mixture, and the particle size of the substances. Temperature increases the chance of solute and solvent particles colliding with one another. Stirring the mixture also increases the chance of particles colliding. And a particle size with a greater surface area increases

First,the aspirin dissolves in water. Second, sodium and citrate ions combine to form sodium citrate which is soluble in the water. Third and finally, the bicarbonate ions from sodium bicarbonate react with hydrogen ions from citric acid to produce water and carbon dioxide gas which is released in bubbles. The result is a fizzy, or effervescent, solution. Bubbles are produced continuously from the time the tablet enters the water until the time when the reaction between sodium bicarbonate and citric acid ceases. The disappearance of bubbles can be used as a qualitative indicator for the completion of the chemical reaction and the production of the sodium citrate solution. The chemicals in the final solution are sodium bicarbonate, and citric acid, to make a sodium citrate solution. The solute is the Alka-Seltzer tablet and the solvent is the

We measured the elapsed time of bubble production in seconds as the dependent variable, and used the condition of the tablets as the independent variable. The control is the amount of Alka-Seltzer and the water temperature. One tablet was used in all the beakers and the water was all the same temperature. The results showed the the tablets with greater surface area dissolved faster than their peers. The quartered tablets bubble production (54.77 secs) was faster than the whole tablets (77.32 secs), while the crushed tablet’s bubble production (27.28 secs) was faster than the quartered tablets. The data from this experiment supported my hypothesis. The plotted data in the graph from this experiment is my