Would it dissolve?

Key Points

  • A substance that can dissolve in water is soluble.
  • A soluble, toxicPoisonous; can injure or kill people or other organisms. substance spilled into the water could contaminate water intakes and the marine food web, if its concentrationThe amount of a chemical present in a given weight or volume of air. Concentration of a gas in air may be expressed in units such as parts per million (by volume) or milligrams per cubic meter. reaches a hazardous level. It also could harm marine animals or plants.
  • The concentration of a dissolved substance is likely to be highest in small water bodies and/or places where there is little mixing by waves and currents.
  • An insoluble substance doesn't dissolve in water. If spilled into the water and:
    • It's denser than water, it will sink to the bottom. There, it can endanger bottom-dwelling animals (such as shellfish beds).
    • It's less dense than water, it will float on the surface and can beach on shore. At the surface or on shore, it can endanger animals that spend time at the surface (such as seabirds and marine mammals).
  • Check the substance's CAMEO 365bet娱乐 datasheet to find out about its water solubilityA measure of a chemical's ability to dissolve in water. If a chemical is highly soluble, it will dissolve easily into water..

Backgrounder

Scale showing solubility ranges: insoluble (0-0.1%), slightly soluble (0.1-1%), soluble (1-99%), and miscible (100%).How a spilled hazardous substance could damage marine or aquatic life鈥攐r become a public health hazard鈥攄epends on its water solubility and its toxicity.

Water solubility is the maximum amount of a substance that can dissolve in water at a given temperature and pressure. Conditions that influence whether the maximum amount of a substance will dissolve and how long the process will take include听temperature听(higher temperatures promote faster dissolving) and听mixing听(more stirring by waves or currents promotes faster dissolving).

Water solubility is shown as a percentage and also in other units (usually at 68掳F). For example, the solubility of vinyl acetate in water is 2% (20 mg/mL or 20,000 mg/L). A solutionMixtures of chemicals in which the components are interspersed uniformly at the molecular level. of vinyl acetate in water can hold up to 2% vinyl acetate when the temperature is about 68掳F. A substance that's completely soluble in water鈥�100% can dissolve鈥攊s called miscibleCompletely soluble..

Whether a hazardous substance is water soluble affects how it can cause harm if spilled into a water body. Learn more about solubility and potential harm to marine animalsLearn more about solubility and potential harm to marine animals

Generally:

  • An insoluble substance that is denser than water will sink to the bottom. There, it could harm bottom-dwelling marine animals. For example, it could smother shellfish beds.
  • An insoluble substance that is less dense than water would float on the water surface and could beach on the shore. If it's toxicPoisonous; can injure or kill people or other organisms. or flammableEasy to ignite and burns readily., its evaporating vaporThe gas given off by a substance that is liquid (or solid) at normal temperatures and pressures. could create a hazardous vapor cloud. A floating hazardous substance also could harm seabirds or marine mammals (as well as shore animals, if it were to beach).
  • A soluble substance could form a plume in the water column. If it is toxic, it could contaminate water intakes or marine food webs, or injure marine animals.

Two factors influence how harmful a soluble hazardous substance could be in the water: dissolving rate and volume of water available. Learn more about these influencing factorsLearn more about these influencing factors

Dissolving rate: A substance that dissolves faster can reach higher concentrations in water than substances that dissolve more slowly. When dissolving takes less time, there's less time for waves and currents to disperse and dilute the dissolved substance. Higher concentrations of a hazardous substance are more likely to cause harm.

Some substances dissolve in a few seconds or minutes. Others require days or weeks. Water solubilityA measure of a chemical's ability to dissolve in water. If a chemical is highly soluble, it will dissolve easily into water. doesn't directly tell you the rate at which the substance will dissolve in water, but generally:

  • More soluble substances usually dissolve faster.
  • Substances dissolve faster at higher temperatures.
  • Substances dissolve faster where there's more mixing energy, such as areas of strong currents or wave action.

Volume of water available: In the ocean or a one of the Great Lakes, even a large volume of a toxic substance can be diluted down to harmless concentrations relatively quickly鈥攅specially if waves or currents contribute a lot of mixing energy. When a toxic substance is spilled into a small body of water (such as a canal or diked area), the concentration of the substance is more likely to reach a dangerous level, because less water is available to dilute the solution.

Besides these factors, consider a substance's toxicity when assessing its potential to harm marine life. Some substances with low solubilities can harm marine organisms because they also are toxic at low concentrations. DDT is an example: its solubility ranges from about 1鈥�7 ppbParts per billion. Units used to express the concentration of a gas or vapor in air (as molecules of chemical per billion molecules of air)., but it also is toxic to invertebrates at these low concentrations.

Water Solubility Information in CAMEO 365bet娱乐

Follow the steps below to find out about a substance's solubility:

  1. Search for the chemical.
  2. In the Search Results pages, find the chemical datasheet, and click View Datasheet.
  3. Look in the Physical Properties section of the datasheet for the Water Solubility. Note that water solubility may be reported in different ways. See examples of water solubility valuesSee examples of water solubility values

    Sulfuric acid is miscible (dissolves completely) in water.

    Cyanogen is 1% soluble in water (slightly soluble).

    Cimetidine has a solubility in water of 5 mg/mL at 68 degrees F (slightly soluble).

    听
  4. If the water solubility isn't listed in the Physical Properties section, look in the听General Description in the Chemical Identifiers section of the datasheet. It often describes the chemical's behavior in water (e.g., "Mixes with water," "Sinks and mixes with water," or "Completely miscible with water").

    Allyl glycidyl ether is insoluble in water.
Note:听If the chemical of concern is soluble, also check whether it is water reactive.

Related Topics

More Information Online

  • External link.听- Information on the standards and regulations for substances considered to be drinking water contaminants.