PHET Interactive Simulations: Sugar and Salt Solutions

Topics

Solutions
Ionic
Covalent

Description

What happens when sugar and salt are added to water? Pour in sugar, shake in salt, and evaporate water to see the effects on concentration and conductivity. Zoom in to see how different sugar and salt compounds dissolve. Zoom in again to explore the role of water.

Sample Learning Goals

Use pictures and proportional reasoning to explain changes in concentration
Draw what happens at the molecular level when compounds dissolve in water
Identify if a compound is a salt or sugar by macroscopic observations or microscopic representations.
Explain how using combinations of solutes changes solution characteristics or not.
Use observations to explain ways concentration of a solute can change.
Describe ways the formula, macroscopic observations, or microscopic representations of a compound indicates if the bonding is ionic or covalent.