Article
Article
Hydration
Article By:
Johnston, Francis J. Department of Chemistry, University of Georgia, Athens, Georgia.
Last reviewed:January 2020
DOI:https://doi.org/10.1036/1097-8542.326500
The incorporation of molecular water into a complex with the molecules or units of another species. The complex may be held together by relatively weak forces or may exist as a definite compound. Many salts form solid hydrates when exposed to water vapor under certain conditions of temperature and pressure. Copper sulfate, for example, forms a monohydrate (CuSO4 · H2O) when exposed at 25°C (77°F) to water vapor at a pressure of 0.8 mm of mercury (1100 pascals). At higher pressures other hydrates are formed. Water is lost from these compounds when they are heated or when the water vapor pressure falls below a minimum value. Solids forming hydrates at low pressures are used as drying agents. See also: Deliquescence; Desiccant; Efflorescence; Hydrate; Solution; Solvation
The content above is only an excerpt.
About AccessScience
AccessScience provides the most accurate and trustworthy scientific information available.
Recognized as an award-winning gateway to scientific knowledge, AccessScience is an amazing online resource that contains high-quality reference material written specifically for students. Contributors include more than 10,000 highly qualified scientists and 46 Nobel Prize winners.
MORE THAN 8700 articles covering all major scientific disciplines and encompassing the McGraw-Hill Encyclopedia of Science & Technology and McGraw-Hill Yearbook of Science & Technology
115,000-PLUS definitions from the McGraw-Hill Dictionary of Scientific and Technical Terms
3000 biographies of notable scientific figures
MORE THAN 19,000 downloadable images and animations illustrating key topics
ENGAGING VIDEOS highlighting the life and work of award-winning scientists
SUGGESTIONS FOR FURTHER STUDY and additional readings to guide students to deeper understanding and research
LINKS TO CITABLE LITERATURE help students expand their knowledge using primary sources of information
