Abstract
TO a reader who has not followed recent American work on solubility, the contents of Prof. Hilde-brand's book provide a pleasant surprise. Instead of a mere compendium of data, there is here a real attempt to develop a general theory of solubility, and of the even wider problems of miscibility in liquids, and of the properties of the resulting mixtures. The starting-point of this general theory is not the familiar Law of Osmotic Pressure of van't Hoff, but the more fundamental Law of Vapour Pressures of Raoult. Thus, in the case of certain mixtures, Raoult's law is valid over the whole range of concentrations from? to 100 per cent., whereas van't HofFs law is limited to dilute solutions and, even when modified, cannot be.extended in a similar way. An ideal solution is therefore defined as one which obeys Raoult's law at all temperatures and all pressures. This depends on the internal forces remaining undisturbed on substituting molecules of solute for molecules of solvent. The author discusses what are the properties of the individual liquids, the equality of which is likely to lead to this result, and concludes that equality of “internal pressure “is the most important factor. Moreover, if this condition is realised at one temperature and pressure, it is likely to be realised over the whole range.
Solubility.
By Prof. Joel H. Hildebrand. (American Chemical Society Monograph Series.) Pp. 206. (New York: Chemical Catalog Co., Inc., 1924.) 3 dollars.
Article PDF
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
L., T. The Origin of Solubility. Nature 114, 637 (1924). https://doi.org/10.1038/114637a0
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/114637a0