Solutions

Pure elements and compounds are nice to look at, but they do have their limitations. Typically, they are notoriously slow or impossible to get them to react. Dissolve the same solids in water and combine them, however, and you might just have an instant reaction. This unit describes solutions, especially //aqueous solutions// (those in which the solvent is water). You will learn how that little magic molecule known as water is so good at dissolving things (well, at least polar things), how to describe the amount of solute in a solution using the concentration unit of //molarity//, and how to empirically determine the concentration of a solution using the omnipresent and omniscient probing power of light in //spectroscopy//. Lastly, you will learn about several important types of reactions, including precipitation reactions, acid-base titrations, and redox reactions.