CHEMISTRY GAME · BETA
Solubility Laboratory
Classify ionic compounds using qualitative solubility guidelines, then review the rule and its exceptions.
QUALITATIVE SOLUBILITY
Sort each ionic compound by its behavior in room-temperature water.
Drag the compound card into a category, or choose a category directly. Each round contains eight non-repeating compounds.
These are classroom-level qualitative categories. Insoluble does not mean that literally no material dissolves.
Hint: general solubility rules
| Compound of | Rule |
|---|---|
| Li⁺, Na⁺, K⁺, or NH₄⁺ | Always soluble |
| NO₃⁻ or C₂H₃O₂⁻ | Always soluble |
| Cl⁻, Br⁻, or I⁻ | Insoluble with Ag⁺, Hg₂²⁺, or Pb²⁺. Soluble with any other ion. |
| SO₄²⁻ | Soluble with all ions except Sr²⁺, Ba²⁺, Ag⁺, Hg₂²⁺, or Pb²⁺. |
| CO₃²⁻ or PO₄³⁻ | Soluble with Li⁺, Na⁺, K⁺, or NH₄⁺. Insoluble with any other ion. |
| OH⁻ or S²⁻ | Soluble with Ca²⁺, Sr²⁺, Ba²⁺, Li⁺, Na⁺, K⁺, or NH₄⁺. Insoluble with any other ion. |
| CaSO₄, Ca(OH)₂, Sr(OH)₂, PbCl₂ | Sparingly soluble in this activity. |
OpenStax solubility guidelines ↗Activity threshold reference ↗PubChem: CaSO₄ ↗PubChem: PbCl₂ ↗
Drag the card, or use one of the three choice buttons below.
Operational definition for this activity in room-temperature water: soluble > 0.10 mol L⁻¹; sparingly soluble 0.01–0.10 mol L⁻¹; insoluble < 0.01 mol L⁻¹. Textbooks may use different cutoffs.