Saturation

Let’s say you are making a sugar solution. For this, you need sugar which acts as the solute and water as the solvent. When you mix them, the resultant mixture is termed a solution. Now, let’s say you continue to add more sugar and stir the solution to ensure that all the solutes get mixed up quickly. However, you will see that you can’t dissolve any more sugar after a specific time. If you add the solute, it simply forms a precipitate instead of getting mixed. This is because the solution has become saturated, which means that no more solute can be dissolved into the solvent. This phenomenon is termed saturation. 

Saturation-A brief scientific explanation

Let’s assume that X is a solute having 100 molecules, and Y is a solvent having 100 molecules. Now, when you combine X and Y, it will give a mixture Z. Let us consider that the total molecular capacity of mixture Z is 250. In the connected state, it has 100 molecules of X and 100 molecules of Y. 

Therefore, Z isn’t filled to its total capacity. It can still hold 50 molecules of X. Now, let’s assume that you have added 60 molecules of X into Z. Fifty molecules of X will occupy the remaining seats of the Z mixture. The remaining 10 molecules will be left behind. Since there is no vacant seat available, they will be left out and form a precipitate. As solution Z is filled to its total capacity of 250 molecules, we can say that it is entirely saturated. And this process is termed saturation which occurs almost everywhere because solute, solvent, and solutions are present and considered in nearly all the fields. 

Terminologies concerning saturation

To understand the concept of saturation and the related events, you must get a good idea about some of the terminologies associated with this activity. 

• Saturation point

The saturation point meaning defines the point beyond which no more solute can be added to the solution as it is filled to its maximum capacity. In other words, we can say that when one system is wholly packed and is left with no space, then it won’t be able to accept any more items or substances from another linked system. 

• Unsaturated state

When a system is not filled to its total capacity and can still accept substances from an external system, its state is considered unsaturated. If we believe the above example, we can say that when mixture Z had 100 X molecules and 100 Y molecules, its condition is termed unsaturated since it can still accommodate 50 more X molecules. 

• Saturation temperature

The saturation temperature in chemical and biological systems is when the mixture becomes saturated. For example, if Z cannot hold any more molecules of the X solute beyond 200 degrees, then this will be termed the saturation temperature of the concerned mixture. 

• Saturation percentage

Saturation percentage is defined as the ratio of the system’s current capacity to its total capacity. For example, let’s consider the saturation humidity formula. You will get to know that 96% humidity means that if a particular system has 100 as total capacity, it has 96 particles. 

• Oversaturation 

Oversaturation is a state where you continue to add more substances to an already saturated system. In this case, the extra items are discarded or the system becomes unstable. For example, when you continue to add more sugar to a saturated sugar solution, the additional solute will form a precipitate. 

What are some of the best examples to understand saturation?

To understand the concept of saturation, there are several examples to which you can refer. Here, we have explained a couple of these phenomena for better clarification. 

1. The saturation humidity formula is the best example of this process because here, x% humidity means that x water vapour molecules are present in every 100 units of atmospheric air
2. Often you will hear doctors talking about oxygen saturation. This term means the quantity of dissolved oxygen gas per 100 ccs of blood. If the amount is 96%, it means that in 100 ccs of blood, 96 cc represents oxygen 
3. Enzymes act on the substrate, which can be the food molecules, cells, chemicals, etc. If the substrate is present in its maximum quantity, we define the process as saturated

Conclusion 

Saturation is a phenomenon related to almost all natural processes. It can be a biological reference like oxygen saturation, geographical or physical example like the humidity, chemical reference like a solution, etc. Even though the conditions and other aspects change, the literal meaning remains the same. When a system is filled to its total capacity and cannot accept anything else from the outside, it will be termed a saturated system. The best way to understand this statement is by considering a room. Let’s say that it can accommodate 40 people at once. If you try to accommodate 50 people, you won’t be able to do so because you will have 10 people in hand. Therefore, we can say that the room is saturated.