Okuzeka
Chemistry vocabulary · Solutions and Concentration

Aqueous

Meaning in chemistry, with examples

/ˈeɪkwiəs/adjectiveCommon term

In chemistry, aqueous means: Describes a solution in which water is the solvent. In equations it is shown by the state symbol (aq), as in NaCl(aq).

In Turkish: sulu

How it is used

Very common in equations, procedures and extractions. You speak of an aqueous solution, the aqueous layer in a separating funnel and an aqueous work-up. In an extraction the other layer is the organic layer.

Example sentences

  1. Wash the organic layer twice with saturated aqueous sodium bicarbonate.

  2. Which layer is aqueous? Add a drop of water and see where it goes.

Common collocations

  • aqueous solution
  • aqueous layer
  • aqueous phase
  • aqueous work-up
  • solutionA uniform mixture in which one substance (the solute) is completely dissolved in another (the solvent). Salt water and sugar dissolved in tea are everyday examples.
  • solventThe substance, usually a liquid, that dissolves another substance to form a solution. Water is the most common one; ethanol, acetone and hexane are widely used organic ones.
  • solubilityThe maximum amount of a substance that can dissolve in a given amount of solvent at a certain temperature, often given in grams per 100 g of water.
  • ionAn atom or group of atoms that carries an electric charge because it has gained or lost electrons. Positive ones are cations and negative ones are anions.

More terms: Solutions and Concentration

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