The relationship between dissolution, gas oversaturation and outgassing of solutions determined by Broadband Acoustic Resonance Dissolution Spectroscopy (BARDS)

Abstract

The addition of a solute to a solvent is known to reduce the solubility of dissolved gases in solution which leads to gas oversaturation and outgassing of the solvent. The importance of the processes involved have received relatively little attention due to a limited capacity to elucidate their effects in real time. Broadband Acoustic Resonance Dissolution Spectroscopy (BARDS) is a recently introduced acoustic approach which can monitor changes in the compressibility of a solvent due to outgassing. BARDS spectra show that a time dependent and quantitative reduction in gas oversaturation, following the dissolution of a simple salt, takes place over several hours. It is shown how vigorous agitation quickly equilibrates a solution, post dissolution, by removing gas oversaturation consistently. The level of oversaturation can be elucidated by further dissolving a marker compound into a solution consecutively. BARDS spectra indicate that the dissolution of a compound produces a consistent and quantifiable oversaturation of a solvent and a consistent and quantifiable outgassing. Low frequency sonication in an immersion bath is also shown to play no significant role in removing gas oversaturation post dissolution.