In general, there is a distinction between melting and dissolving. When a solid melts, the atoms or molecules loosen up and begin to form into a liquid. In contrast, when a solid dissolves in a liquid, the atoms or molecules are dispersed evenly within the liquid. Thus, dissolution is generally faster than melting. For example, salt (NaCl) will dissolve in water much faster than it will melt in water. Another example is sugar which will dissolve very quickly but may take some time to melt completely.
What is Melting?
- Most people are familiar with the process of melting, even if they don’t know the scientific term for it. Melting is simply the change of state from a solid to a liquid. This can happen when heat is applied to a substance, causing the particles to break apart and become less ordered. The result is a liquid that takes on the shape of its container.
- While melting is a relatively simple concept, there is still much that scientists don’t understand about the process. For example, why does melting always occur at a specific temperature? And what role does entropy play in the melting process? These are just some of the questions that researchers are still working to answer.
- In general, though, melting is a vital part of many processes in the natural world. It’s responsible for everything from creating beautiful works of art to shaping the landscapes we see around us. And as our understanding of melting grows, we may be able to harness its power in new and exciting ways.
What is Dissolving?
Dissolving is a process that occurs when a substance mixes with a solvent to form a solution. In order for dissolving to occur, the molecules of the substance must be able to interact with the molecules of the solvent. This interaction can take many forms, but it typically involves some kind of attraction between the molecules. For example, water molecules are attracted to the molecules of sugar, which is why sugar dissolves in water. Once Dissolving occurs, the mixture is said to be saturated, and no further Dissolving can take place. The amount of Dissolving that can take place is determined by the solubility of the substance.
Some substances, like sugar, have a high solubility and can Dissolve easily in a variety of solvents. Other substances, like oil, have low solubility and Dissolve only in certain solvents. When Dissolving occurs, the properties of the mixture are usually different from those of the original substances. For example, when sugar dissolves in water, the resulting solution is sweeter than plain water. Similarly, when salt dissolves in water, the solution conducts electricity better than plain water. The study of Dissolving is known as Solution Chemistry.
Difference between Melting and Dissolving
- There is a big difference between melting and dissolving. Melting is when a solid turns into a liquid due to heat. Dissolving is when a substance mixes evenly with another substance. For example, if you have ever made Kool-Aid, the powder dissolves in the water. It doesn’t matter how much heat you add, the powder will not melt. This is because Kool-Aid is not made of molecules that can form bonds with water molecules.
- When you melt something, like ice cubes, the molecules have enough energy to overcome the forces that are holding them together. The molecules move faster and take up more space so the solid becomes a liquid. When you dissolve a solid in a liquid, the molecules do not have enough energy to overcome the forces holding them together, so they spread out evenly throughout the liquid.
- You can see this difference by looking at the sugar in coffee. If you don’t stir it, the sugar will sink to the bottom and stay there until someone stirs it up again. This is because the sugar molecules are not moving fast enough to overcome the forces holding them together, so they cannot spread out evenly in the coffee.
Conclusion
Melting and dissolving are two different ways that a solid can turn into a liquid. The main difference between the two is the speed at which it happens. When something melts, it turns into a liquid gradually, while when something dissolves, it turns into a liquid quickly. Both methods involve the substance breaking down into individual molecules, but with melting, these molecules move more slowly and combine to form the new liquid. With dissolution, the molecules break away from each other much faster and join together in the new liquid state.
