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[deleted] t1_jd4mf0y wrote

Reply to comment by cracksmack85 in Can a single atom be determined to be in any particular phase of matter? by Zalack

Aqueous here means that the solution which constitutes a solvent and solute, has water as the chosen solvent.

Example being Sodium Chloride. Sodium Chloride (aq) simply means that you have a saline solution. The individual atoms of Sodium Chloride are dissolved in liquid water.

I wouldn't really call NaCl a liquid if you have NaCl (aq) because you're no longer dealing with pure NaCl. The aqueous solution is a liquid though.

This leads to an interesting question about solids that do not dissolve in a liquid. Here you're dealing with a type of colloid (effectively one phase suspended in another phase) And the dispersed compound does not have to be solid btw- it can be liquid (such as milk).

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cdcformatc t1_jd5d0dx wrote

Liquid salt to me makes me think of molten salt heated past it's melting temperature, which is very different than an aqueous solution.

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Angdrambor t1_jd7y889 wrote

It gets even more fun when you look at materials like Ice or Steel, which have like a dozen solid phases each.

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