In chemistry how does something become super saturated?

Brainy Blonde

Extra, extra, read all about it!!! http://www.mpcfaculty.net/mark_bishop/supersaturated.htm This goes way over my head, so I won't even try to explain it. You're better off reading it yourself. Oct 17 02, 6:25 AM

Gnomon

When you add something like salt to a liquid and it dissolves, you have a solution. As you add more and more salt, there comes a point where no more will dissolve. The extra you add in remains solid and just lies at the bottom. The solution is said to be saturated - it is holding as much as you can put into it. If you heat the liquid, that makes room for some more, so you can add more salt and dissolve it. If you now allow the liquid to cool back to the original temperature, the liquid has more salt dissolved in it than it should be able to take. It is super-saturated. But the dissolved crystals don't know how to form, so they remain dissolved. If you then add a single salt crystal, this provides the crystallisation pattern and all the excess salt will turn back to solid, leaving the solution as a normal saturated one. Oct 17 02, 8:14 AM

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