Solubility is the property of a solid, liquid, or gas able to dissolve in a solute. Solvation is the process of the disassociation of the attraction between molecules of a solvent. In the Sticky Situation: Chewing Gum and Solubility lab we tested the solubility of various components of chewing gum. We first tested the results of water and sugar mixture, water and oil, and sugar and oil. After observing the reactions we then tested sugar coated gum in water and oil. The sugar coating dissolved in the water, but not much change was observed in the oil. Finally, we tested the chewing gum with a Hershey's chocolate kiss. This was surprising because our saliva didn't disassociate the gum, but an ingredient in the chocolate did; the gum seemed to dissolve in the "sea of chocolate" in our mouths.
This lab ultimately tested the intermolecular forces in the gum. Intermolecular forces are the attractions or repulsive forces between neighboring atoms in a substance. In solvation, the dissassociation of the molecules requires more energy if the intermolecular forces are stronger. Stronger intermolecular forces occur when the substances aren't similar. For example, the sugar dissolved in the water because both substances were polar. This idea of "like dissolves like" is introduced as a connection between intermolecular forces and solubility.
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