dissolve

Everyday

1. When a solid dissolves in a liquid, it mixes in completely so you cannot see it any more, like sugar in tea. tree →
2. To dissolve something is to make it do this, often by stirring. tree →
3. To dissolve a group or agreement is to end it officially. tree →
4. To dissolve into tears or laughter is to start crying or laughing uncontrollably. tree →

In the lessons

In science, a substance that dissolves is soluble (salt, sugar); one that does not is insoluble (sand, chalk). The mixture made is a solution. Warm water and stirring make things dissolve faster. You can get a dissolved solid back by evaporating the water, but not by filtering. Phrases: dissolve in water, soluble and insoluble, dissolve into tears, dissolved salt.

Examples

• Sugar dissolves in hot tea. tree →
• Salt dissolves in water, but sand does not. tree →
• Stir the water to make the powder dissolve faster. tree →
• The tablet dissolved in the glass. tree →
• We got the salt back by evaporating the dissolved solution. tree →
• She dissolved into giggles. tree →
• She cast one more lingering, half-fainting glance at the prince, and then threw herself from the ship into the sea, and thought her body was dissolving into foam. tree →

Note

Dissolving is not the same as melting: melting needs heat and only one substance (ice to water); dissolving needs a liquid to mix into. A dissolved solid is still there — the mass of the solution equals the water plus the solid.