I think one of the concepts we had this week that was most interesting to me was our discussion of water, often known as the “universal solvent” or the “solvent of life”. This is, in my opinion, a very true moniker; as organisms need water to survive. But perhaps on a less immediate scale in my everyday college student life, water is very necessary because I need it to make my weekend hot chocolate. I enjoy the convenience of the instant hot chocolate packs, though I’m usually too busy enjoying the drink to think about the chemistry/biochemistry behind it.
One packet of Swiss Miss Instant Hot Chocolate contains: sugar, corn syrup, modified whey, cocoa (processed with alkali), hydrogenated coconut oil, nonfat milk, calcium carbonate, less than 2% of: salt, dipotassium phosphate, mono- and diglyderides, artificial flavor. This seems like an even mix of polar/easily dissolvable (sugar, calcium carbonate, dipotassium phosphate) and nonpolar (coconut oil, nonfat milk, etc) substances. As such, I would think room temperature water would not be as effective in dissolving this mixture. However, once I add boiling water and give it a stir (to increase surface area/expose solute to solution), I have -voila!- drinkable hot chocolate.
I think it makes sense that temperature increase the solubility of a solute, in this case hot chocolate mix, because the system is given more energy required to break the bonds of the solid. My question is, if the solute is nonpolar, does temperature increase the nonpolar solute’s solubility? Does its nonpolar nature even matter? Observationally, I’d have to say no. I guess a bond is a bond and a bond is meant to be broken. (Though would love to know if this is true or not!) At any rate, upon reflection of this process, I am glad that water is the universal solvent – it’s rather tasty by itself and when making hot cocoa. I can’t imagine having to make my hot chocolate with some other sort of liquid!