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Chapter 12: Problem 38

Suppose you mixed a small amount of table sugar with a large amount of flour and then spent hours grinding the mixture to a very fine powder. Is this mixture a solution? Explain.

Short Answer

Expert verified
The mixture of table sugar and flour, even when ground to a very fine powder, is not a solution. Although the mixture might appear homogeneous, the individual particles of sugar and flour remain distinct and separate, and no dissolution of solute in a solvent occurs.

Step by step solution

01

Understanding the Components

Before we discuss whether this mixture is a solution, we need to understand the components. Table sugar (sucrose) is a type of sugar composed of glucose and fructose. Flour, on the other hand, is a powder made from the grinding of cereal grains, such as wheat. Both are solid substances.
02

Defining a Solution

A solution is a homogeneous mixture of two or more substances. In a solution, the solute (a substance that gets dissolved) mixes uniformly with the solvent (the substance that dissolves the solute). The particles in a solution are usually in a single phase (solid, liquid, or gas), and the solute particles are not visible to the naked eye.
03

Analyzing the Mixture

In this exercise, table sugar is mixed with a large amount of flour and ground to a very fine powder. The mixture results in a uniform, fine powder, but the particles of sugar and flour are still distinct and not dissolved in a solvent. The grinding of the substances does not result in a uniform single-phase substance.
04

Determining if the Mixture is a Solution

From our analysis, this mixture does not meet the criteria of a solution. Although the mixture might appear homogeneous, the individual particles of sugar and flour remain distinct and separate. No dissolution of solute in a solvent occurred.
05

Conclusion

The mixture of table sugar and flour, even when ground to a very fine powder, is not a solution. It is a mixture in which the sugar and flour particles remain distinct, and no solute is truly dissolved in a solvent.

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Most popular questions from this chapter

The dissolving of a solute (like \(\mathrm{NaCl}\) ) into a solvent (like water) can be thought of as a threestep process. (a) Briefly name or describe these three steps. (b) What are the energy implications of each step? (exothermic, endothermic, depends on the particular solvent/solute) (c) Which of the three steps is primarily responsible for the "like dissolves like" rule for solubility?

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