supersaturated
8.3
A liquid that holds more salt or sugar mixed into it than it normally can, so crystals form
- adjective
- /ˌsuːpərˈsætʃʊreɪtɪd/
- Specialized
:
supersaturado
- As the reader is implied in the project of writing the lover's discourse, in our very biographies, we are the supersaturated solution in which crystallization will occur and make us a speaker of the lover's discourse.
Examples
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In chemistry class, we learned about a supersaturated solution that contained more sugar than could dissolve in the water at room temperature.
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When the temperature dropped, the supersaturated solution began to form crystals as the excess solute could not remain dissolved.
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He prepared a supersaturated solution for the experiment, ensuring it contained more salt than water could typically hold.
Synonyms
6.8
Having more dissolved salt or sugar than a liquid can hold at that temperature
applies more widely by including vapor states and nonequilibrium conditions under pressure
Antonyms
How Saturated
Surface Forms
supersaturated positive
Morphology
Etymology
The word supersaturated breaks into super- 'above' and saturated 'fully filled'. Imagine a sponge so full that extra water sits on top — a supersaturated solution is 'more than full', so the extra dissolved material can form crystals.