What steps can be taken to induce crystallization if upon cooling the solid remains dissolved? a) What is the definition of supersaturation? b) What is the definition of solubility? Insolubility? Partial solubility? Solution There are five major steps in the recrystallization process: dissolving the solute in the solvent, performing a gravity filtration, if necessary, obtaining crystals of the solute, collecting the solute crystals by vacuum filtration, and, finally, drying the resulting crystals. a) Supersaturation is a state of a solution that contains more of the dissolved material than could be dissolved by the solvent under normal circumstances. It can also refer to a vapor of a compound that has a higher (partial) pressure than the vapor pressure of that compound. b) Solubility : Amount of a substance (called the solute) that dissolves in a unit volume of a liquid substance (called the solvent) to form a saturated solution under specified conditions of temperature and pressure. Solubility is expressed usually as moles of solute per 100 grams of solvent. Insolubility : Incapable of being dissolved in a liquid or soluble only with difficulty or to a slight degree. Partial solubility : If a substance partially dissolves in a liquid, that is called as partial solubility. .