ACS Chemistry Practice Exam 2025 – The All-in-One Guide to Exam Success!

An unsaturated solution is defined as a solution that contains less dissolved solute than it can potentially hold at a given temperature. This means that there is still capacity within the solution to dissolve more solute.

In contrast to a saturated solution, where the maximum amount of solute has been dissolved and any additional solute would remain undissolved, the unsaturated solution is characterized by the presence of solvent that can accommodate more solute.

Supersaturated solutions, on the other hand, contain more solute than what is typically soluble at that temperature, achieved under specific conditions. Concentrated solutions refer to solutions with a relatively high amount of solute compared to solvent, but they can still be saturated or unsaturated depending on the solute's solubility in that solvent. Therefore, the distinguishing feature of an unsaturated solution is its ability to dissolve additional solute, differentiating it clearly from saturated and supersaturated solutions.