# Miscibility > Mediated Wiki article. Canonical URL: https://mediated.wiki/source/Miscibility > Markdown URL: https://mediated.wiki/source/Miscibility.md > Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Miscibility > Source revision: 1350684617 > License: Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/) {{Short description|Ability of two substances to form a homogeneous solution when mixed}} {{See also|Mixture|Solubility}} [[File:Dieselrainbow.jpg|thumb|[Diesel fuel](/source/Diesel_fuel) is immiscible in [water](/source/water). The bright rainbow pattern is the result of [thin-film interference](/source/thin-film_interference).]] '''Miscibility''' ({{IPAc-en|ˌ|m|ɪ|s|ᵻ|ˈ|b|ɪ|l|ᵻ|t|i}}) is the property of two [substances](/source/chemical_substance) to mix in all [proportions](/source/mixing_ratio) (that is, to fully [dissolve](/source/dissolution_(chemistry)) in each other at any [concentration](/source/concentration)), forming a [homogeneous](/source/homogeneity_and_heterogeneity) [mixture](/source/mixture) (a [solution](/source/Solution_(chemistry))). Such substances are said to be '''''miscible''''' (etymologically equivalent to the common term "mixable"). The term is most often applied to [liquid](/source/liquid)s, but also applies to [solid](/source/solid)s and [gas](/source/gas)es. An example in liquids is the miscibility of [water](/source/water) and [ethanol](/source/ethanol) as they mix in all proportions.{{cite book |title = Organic Chemistry | last = Wade | first = Leroy G. | year = 2003 | publisher = Pearson Education | isbn = 0-13-033832-X | page = 412 }} By contrast, substances are said to be '''''immiscible''''' if the mixture does not form a solution for certain proportions. For one example, [oil](/source/oil) is not soluble in water, so these two solvents are immiscible. As another example, [butanone](/source/butanone) (methyl ethyl ketone) is immiscible in water: it is soluble in water up to about 275 grams per liter, but will separate into two [phases](/source/Phase_(matter)) beyond that.{{Cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=aUP9BAAAQBAJ&pg=PA398|title=Binary Systems: Solubilities of Inorganic and Organic Compounds, Volume 1P1|last1=Stephen|first1=H.|last2=Stephen|first2=T.|date=2013-10-22|publisher=Elsevier|isbn=9781483147123|language=en}} == Organic compounds == In [organic compound](/source/organic_compound)s, the [weight percent](/source/Concentration) of [hydrocarbon](/source/hydrocarbon) chain often determines the compound's miscibility with water. For example, among the [alcohol](/source/Alcohol_(chemistry))s, [ethanol](/source/ethanol) has two [carbon](/source/carbon) [atom](/source/atom)s and is miscible with water, whereas [1-butanol](/source/N-Butanol) with four carbons is not.{{Cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=do6cAQAAQBAJ&pg=SA5-PA2|title=Pharmaceutical Chemistry|last1=Barber|first1=Jill|last2=Rostron|first2=Chris|date=2013-07-25|publisher=OUP Oxford|isbn=9780199655304|language=en}} [1-Octanol](/source/1-Octanol), with eight carbons, is practically insoluble in water, and its immiscibility leads it to be used as a standard for [partition equilibria](/source/Partition_equilibrium).{{Cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=a29M2F2ppnUC|title=Octanol-Water Partition Coefficients: Fundamentals and Physical Chemistry|last=Sangster|first=J.|date=1997-05-28|publisher=John Wiley & Sons|isbn=9780471973973|language=en}} The straight-chain [carboxylic acid](/source/carboxylic_acid)s up to [butanoic acid](/source/Butyric_acid) (with four carbon atoms) are miscible with water, [pentanoic acid](/source/valeric_acid) (with five carbons) is partly soluble, and [hexanoic acid](/source/hexanoic_acid) (with six) is practically insoluble,{{Cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=8wIQwCmWz9EC&pg=PA841|title=Experimental Organic Chemistry: A Miniscale and Microscale Approach|last1=Gilbert|first1=John C.|last2=Martin|first2=Stephen F.|date=2010-01-19|publisher=Cengage Learning|isbn=978-1439049143|pages=841|language=en}} as are longer [fatty acid](/source/fatty_acid)s and other [lipid](/source/lipid)s; the very long carbon chains of lipids cause them almost always to be immiscible with water. Analogous situations occur for other [functional group](/source/functional_group)s such as [aldehyde](/source/aldehyde)s and [ketone](/source/ketone)s.{{citation needed|date=May 2024}} Thus a practical rule of thumb for determining the solubility of an organic molecule in water (and/or other similarly polar solvents) is to consider the ratio of carbons in the molecule bound to polar functional groups (such as hydroxyl groups), to the number of simple hydrocarbons. If the molecule has a ratio of roughly 1:4 (Polar-to-non-polar carbons), it is soluble in water. It is however necessary to recognise this as a rule of thumb, and not always indicative.{{Cite web |title=Polarity |url=https://www.biotechacademy.dk/en/Ordliste/polarity/ |access-date=2025-03-04 |website=Biotech Academy |language=en-US}} == Metals == Immiscible [metal](/source/metal)s are unable to form [alloy](/source/alloy)s with each other. Typically, a mixture will be possible in the molten state, but upon freezing, the metals separate into layers. This property allows solid [precipitates](/source/Precipitation_(chemistry)) to be formed by rapidly freezing a molten mixture of immiscible metals. One example of immiscibility in metals is [copper](/source/copper) and [cobalt](/source/cobalt), where rapid freezing to form solid precipitates has been used to create [granular GMR](/source/Giant_magnetoresistance) materials.{{Cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=UlKjHfGvSNcC&pg=PA47|title=Magneto-Resistive and Spin Valve Heads: Fundamentals and Applications|last=Mallinson|first=John C.|date=2001-09-27|publisher=Academic Press|isbn=9780080510637|pages=47|language=en}} Some metals are immiscible in the liquid state. One with industrial importance is that liquid [zinc](/source/zinc) and liquid [silver](/source/silver) are immiscible in liquid [lead](/source/lead), while silver is miscible in zinc. This leads to the [Parkes process](/source/Parkes_process), an example of [liquid-liquid extraction](/source/liquid-liquid_extraction), whereby lead containing any amount of silver is melted with zinc. The silver migrates to the zinc, which is skimmed off the top of the two-phase liquid, and the zinc is then boiled away, leaving nearly pure silver.{{Cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=mfPJCgAAQBAJ&pg=PA51|title=The International Lead Trade|last=Rich|first=Vincent|date=2014-03-14|publisher=Woodhead Publishing|isbn=9780857099945|pages=51–52|language=en}} == Effect of entropy == {{Main article|Hydrophobic effect}} If a mixture of [polymer](/source/polymer)s has lower [configurational entropy](/source/Configuration_entropy) than the components, they are likely to be immiscible in one another even in the liquid state.{{Cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=w2VU4dl8ujYC&pg=PA328|title=Nuclear Magnetic Resonance|last=Webb|first=G. A.|date=2007|publisher=Royal Society of Chemistry|isbn=9780854043620|pages=328|language=en}}{{Cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=VSJ3XuJnSkgC&pg=PT690|title=Functional Polymer Films, 2 Volume Set|last1=Knoll|first1=Wolfgang|last2=Advincula|first2=Rigoberto C.|date=2013-02-12|publisher=John Wiley & Sons|isbn=9783527638499|pages=690|language=en}} == Determination == Miscibility of two materials is often determined optically. When the two miscible liquids are combined, the resulting liquid is clear. If the mixture is cloudy the two materials are immiscible. Care must be taken with this determination. If the [indices of refraction](/source/Refractive_index) of the two materials are similar, an immiscible mixture may be clear and give an incorrect determination that the two liquids are miscible.{{Cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=h2mcx1Xsfs0C&pg=PA170|title=Handbook of Thermoplastics|last1=Olabisi|first1=Olagoke|last2=Adewale|first2=Kolapo|date=1997-03-19|publisher=CRC Press|isbn=9780824797973|pages=170|language=en}} == See also == * [Emulsion](/source/Emulsion) * [Heteroazeotrope](/source/Heteroazeotrope) * [ITIES](/source/ITIES) * [Miscibility gap](/source/Miscibility_gap) * [Multiphasic liquid](/source/Multiphasic_liquid) == References == {{Wiktionary|miscibility}} {{Commons category|Immiscible liquids}} {{reflist|1}} ==External links== {{Chemical solutions}} {{Solid objects}} {{Authority control}} Category:Chemical properties --- Adapted from the Wikipedia article [Miscibility](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Miscibility) by Wikipedia contributors ([contributor history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Miscibility?action=history)). 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