Video Transcript
Fill in the Blanks: Atmospheric air is a type of solution in which the physical state of the solute is blank and the physical state of the solvent is blank.
The question tells us that the air in Earth’s atmosphere is a solution. A solution is a specific type of mixture called a homogeneous mixture, which is a physical combination of one or more solutes and a solvent. A solution like air has a uniform composition. The physical states of the solutes and solvent that combine to make the solution may be the same or different. Solutes and solvents may be solids, liquids, or gases. Our job in answering this question is to determine the physical states of the solutes and solvent found in air. We’ll need to complete the statement by writing the correct term in each blank.
To begin, let’s make a table to organize what we know about the solutes, solvent, and solution. A solute is the minor component of a solution. This means that there is a smaller percentage of the solute than the solvent in a solution. A solute is a substance that gets dissolved in a solvent. Let’s look at some cartoons that can help us visualize the composition of air. However, these drawings are not meant to represent the exact proportions of the components in atmospheric air.
The solutes in air are oxygen, argon, and carbon dioxide gas, as well as water vapor. These gases make up about 22 percent of the total composition of air. Of the solutes, oxygen or O2 is present in the largest amount.
The solvent is the major component of a solution, and it is the substance that does the dissolving. The solvent in air is nitrogen gas. Nitrogen gas makes up about 78 percent of the total composition of air. In air, the physical state of the solutes and solvent are the same; both are gases. The state of the solution of atmospheric air is also gas.
Because air is a solution, it has a uniform composition. This means that all of the gases that make up air are distributed evenly throughout the air. This even distribution of the components allows solutions to have a uniform appearance. The word gas should be used to fill in the blanks in the statement. The completed statement is “Atmospheric air is the type of solution in which the physical state of the solute is gas and the physical state of the solvent is gas.”