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Related Concept Videos

Solubility03:00

Solubility

Solution, Solubility, and Solubility Equilibrium
A solution is a homogeneous mixture composed of a solvent, the major component, and a solute, the minor component. The physical state of a solution—solid, liquid, or gas—is typically the same as that of the solvent. Solute concentrations are often described with qualitative terms such as dilute (of relatively low concentration) and concentrated (of relatively high concentration).
In a solution, the solute particles (molecules, atoms, and/or ions)...
Entropy and Solvation02:05

Entropy and Solvation

The process of surrounding a solute with solvent is called solvation. It involves evenly distributing the solute within the solvent. The rule of thumb for determining a solvent for a given compound is that like dissolves like. A good solvent has molecular characteristics similar to those of the compound to be dissolved. For example, polar solutions dissolve polar solutes, and apolar solvents dissolve apolar solutes. A polar solvent is a solvent that has a high dielectric constant (ϵ ≥ 15); an...
Solution Formation02:16

Solution Formation

There is no one solvent that can dissolve every type of solute. Some substances that readily dissolve in a certain solvent might be insoluble in a different solvent. A simple way to predict which substances dissolve in which solvent is the phrase "like dissolves like". This means that polar substances, such as salt and sugar, dissolve in a polar substance like water. In contrast, non-polar substances are more soluble in non-polar solvents such as carbon tetrachloride.
This selective solubility...
Solvents01:12

Solvents

A solvent is a substance, most often a liquid, that can dissolve other substances. Here, the substance being dissolved is called a solute. When a solvent and a solute combine, they form a solution - a homogenous mixture of both the solvent and the solute. Water is a universal biological solvent. Its polar structure allows it to dissolve many other polar compounds. The ability of water to dissolve is governed by a balance between water molecules binding to each other and binding to the solute.
A...
Extraction: Partition and Distribution Coefficients01:14

Extraction: Partition and Distribution Coefficients

The distribution law or Nernst's distribution law is the law that governs the distribution of a solute between two immiscible solvents. This law, also known as the partition law, states that if a solute is added to the mixture of two immiscible solvents at a constant temperature, the solute is distributed between the two solvents in such a way that the ratio of solute concentrations in the solvents remains constant at equilibrium.
For extracting a solute from an aqueous phase into an organic...
Freezing Point Depression and Boiling Point Elevation03:12

Freezing Point Depression and Boiling Point Elevation

Boiling Point Elevation
The boiling point of a liquid is the temperature at which its vapor pressure is equal to ambient atmospheric pressure. Since the vapor pressure of a solution is lowered due to the presence of nonvolatile solutes, it stands to reason that the solution’s boiling point will subsequently be increased. Vapor pressure increases with temperature, and so a solution will require a higher temperature than will pure solvent to achieve any given vapor pressure, including one...

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Related Experiment Video

Updated: Jun 27, 2026

High-Contrast and Fast Photorheological Switching of a Twist-Bend Nematic Liquid Crystal
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High-Contrast and Fast Photorheological Switching of a Twist-Bend Nematic Liquid Crystal

Published on: October 31, 2019

Solvent smectic order parameters from solute nematic order parameters.

Giorgio Celebre1, Giorgio Cinacchi, Giuseppina De Luca

  • 1Dipartimento di Chimica, Universita della Calabria, Via Pietro Bucci Cubo 14C, I-87036 Rende, Cosenza, Italy. giorgio.celebre@unical.it

The Journal of Chemical Physics
|December 3, 2008
PubMed
Summary

Researchers developed a new method to determine positional order parameters in liquid crystals using NMR spectroscopy and statistical-thermodynamic density functional theory. This technique estimates solvent properties from dissolved solutes, advancing smectic A phase characterization.

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Area of Science:

  • Materials Science
  • Physical Chemistry
  • Liquid Crystal Physics

Background:

  • Characterizing liquid crystal phases requires understanding both orientational and positional order.
  • While orientational order parameters (nematic phase) are accessible, positional order parameters (smectic A phase) lack direct experimental methods.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To introduce a novel method for estimating positional order parameters of a smectic A liquid crystal solvent.
  • To utilize orientational order parameters of dissolved solutes as a basis for solvent characterization.

Main Methods:

  • Liquid crystal NMR spectroscopy to determine orientational order parameters of solutes.
  • Statistical-thermodynamic density functional theory incorporating solute-solvent interactions.
  • Parametrization and fitting procedures to derive solvent positional order and solute distribution functions.

Main Results:

  • Successfully estimated positional order parameters for the liquid crystal 4,4(')-di-n-heptyl-azoxybenzene.
  • Determined the positional-orientational distribution function for solutes 1,4-dichlorobenzene and naphthalene.
  • Demonstrated the method's applicability and identified its advantages and limitations.

Conclusions:

  • The developed method provides a viable route to quantify positional order in smectic A liquid crystals.
  • This approach bridges the gap in experimental characterization of smectic A phases.
  • Further refinements and applications of the method are anticipated for advanced liquid crystal studies.