SATURATION

This term is applied scientifically, to a variety of conditions where a liquid or gaseous meaium contains either in solution, or as a vapor, some other body in such proportions that any increase in the concentration would be followed by precipitation. For instance, a solution of common salt is saturated when it contains so much salt that a lo of water, by evaporation, is followed by the precipitation of particles of solid salt. Similarly, the atmosphere is said to be saturated with aqueous vapor when it contains so much vapor that the temperature cannot be reduced without condensation (dew, cloud, fog or rain) occurring. The saturation point of a solid in solution or of a vapor in a gas usually varies with both temperature and pre ure. Under certain conditions, super-saturation can occur, (7.e.) an unstable condition in which the medium contains more of the other body than it can normally hold.