Does it dissolve?
Chemistry · Early Years · The School
What does dissolve mean?
Stir sugar into warm water. Watch it closely. The sugar seems to vanish. But it has not gone away. It has broken into bits far too small to see. We call this dissolving. It is a new word to learn.
Proving it is still there
Taste a spoonful of the water. It tastes sweet! That sweetness is the sugar. It is still in the water, just spread out very thin. You cannot see it, but you can taste that it is truly there.
Things that dissolve, things that do not
Salt dissolves in water, just like sugar does. Sand does NOT dissolve at all. Stir sand into water and it just sinks. It stays as tiny grains at the bottom. Try flour too — flour makes the water cloudy, but it does not truly dissolve.
Warm or cold?
Warm water dissolves sugar fast. Cold water is much slower. Put one spoon of sugar in warm water. Put another spoon in cold water. Stir both cups well and watch closely. Which one disappears first? Warm water almost always wins the race, every single time.
Getting it back
Leave a cup of sugar water in a warm place for a few days. Slowly the water dries up into the air. What is left behind at the bottom of the cup? The sugar! It was there the whole time.