You have a solution of table salt in water. What happens
to the salt concentration (increases, decreases, or stays
the same) as the solution boils? Draw pictures to explain
your answer.

Question

You have a solution of table salt in water. What happens to the salt concentration (increases, decreases, or stays the same) as the solution boils? Draw pictures to explain your answer.

UpStudy AI · Accepted Answer

To understand what happens to the salt concentration in a solution as it boils, let's break down the process step by step.

### Known Conditions:
1. We have a solution of table salt (sodium chloride, NaCl) in water.
2. The solution is being heated until it reaches its boiling point.

### Step-by-Step Explanation:

1. **Boiling Process**:
   - When a solution is heated, the water molecules gain energy and start to escape into the air as vapor. This process is called evaporation.
   - As the water evaporates, the volume of the liquid solution decreases.

2. **Concentration Definition**:
   - Concentration is defined as the amount of solute (in this case, salt) divided by the volume of the solvent (water).
   - Mathematically, concentration $$ C $$ can be expressed as:
     $$
     C = \frac{m}{V}
     $$
     where $$ m $$ is the mass of the solute and $$ V $$ is the volume of the solvent.

3. **Effect on Concentration**:
   - As the water evaporates, the mass of the salt remains constant (assuming no salt is lost during the boiling).
   - However, the volume of the solvent (water) decreases.
   - Since the mass of the solute (salt) is constant and the volume of the solvent is decreasing, the concentration of the salt in the solution will increase.

### Conclusion:
- As the solution boils, the salt concentration **increases** due to the loss of water through evaporation.

### Visual Explanation:
1. **Before Boiling**:
   - A container with water and dissolved salt.
   - The concentration is at a certain level.

2. **During Boiling**:
   - Water vapor is escaping from the solution.
   - The volume of water decreases, while the amount of salt remains the same.

3. **After Boiling**:
   - The remaining solution has a higher concentration of salt.

### Illustrative Diagrams:
- **Diagram 1**: Before boiling (showing water and salt dissolved).
- **Diagram 2**: During boiling (showing water vapor escaping and salt remaining).
- **Diagram 3**: After boiling (showing a smaller volume of water with higher salt concentration).

These diagrams would visually represent the process and the change in concentration. However, since I cannot draw pictures directly, you can visualize or sketch these scenarios based on the descriptions provided.
As the solution boils, the water evaporates, leaving more salt in the remaining water, so the salt concentration **increases**.

You have a solution of table salt in water. What happens
to the salt concentration (increases, decreases, or stays
the same) as the solution boils? Draw pictures to explain
your answer.

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