What factors affect the dissolving process?

Factors that may affect the dissolving process include stirring the solution, increasing the temperature, increasing the pressure and having a smaller crystal size. These factors may have an effect on both the solubility of a solid and the rate of dissolution.

The solubility of a solid is the amount of solute that dissolves in a given amount of solvent. The rate of dissolution is how fast a solute dissolves. Higher temperatures increase the solubility of a solute and the rate of dissolution. Higher pressures have little effect on either factor. Stirring the solution increases the rate of dissolution but has no effect on the solubility of the solid. Smaller crystal sizes increase the rate of dissolution but have no effect on the solubility of the solute.