The key difference between miscible and soluble is that the term miscible refers to the ability to mix a compound with another compound to make a homogeneous mixture, whereas the term soluble refers to the ability of a certain compound to dissolve in a solvent.
Both terms miscible and soluble refer to the combination of different compounds to form new mixtures. Generally, both these terms describe the formation of a homogeneous mixture. However, they differ from each other depending on the types of compounds that are being mixed and the end product. That is; the term miscible describes the mixing of compound in one of the three phases of matter (solid, liquid or gas compounds can be mixed to obtain homogeneous mixtures). Meanwhile, the term soluble refers to the dissolution of a compound in any phase of matter (in solid, liquid or gas phase) in a solvent (the solvent is usually in liquid phase).
CONTENTS
1. Overview and Key Difference
2. What Does Miscible Mean
3. What Does Soluble Mean
4. Side by Side Comparison – Miscible vs Soluble in Tabular Form
5. Summary
What Does Miscible Mean?
The term miscible refers to the ability to mix two compounds to form a homogeneous mixture. Here, the compound has to mix in all proportions in order to form a homogeneous mixture. Most often, we use this term regarding liquids, but we can use it with any other phase of matter (for solids and gases as well). However, immiscible means that there are some proportions of the mixture that do not mix well to form a homogenous mixture.
For example, ethanol is miscible with water because ethanol and water are miscible in all proportions; after the mixing, it forms a homogenous aqueous ethanol solution. In contrast, butanone is a ketone that is significantly soluble in water but it is not miscible with water because the mixing of water and butanone does not form a homogenous mixture.
What Does Soluble Mean?
The term soluble refers to the ability of a compound to dissolve in a solvent. Here, the compound that is being dissolved is named as the solute and it can occur in any one of the three phases of matter (it can be a solid, liquid or a gas); the solvent is usually a liquid, but there can solid and gaseous solvents as well.
After the dissolution, the mixture of solute and solvent is named as a solution. This solution can be either homogenous or heterogeneous because solubility does not describe the mixing in all proportions.
What is the Difference Between Miscible and Soluble?
The terms miscible and soluble may refer to the mixing of two compounds to form one unit. The key difference between miscible and soluble is that the term miscible refers to the ability to mix a compound with another compound to make a homogeneous mixture, whereas the term soluble refers to the ability of a certain compound to dissolve in a solvent. When considering the reactants for each process, the reactants may occur in any of the three phases of matter including solid phase, liquid phase and gas phase. Moreover, solubility can result in either a homogeneous or a heterogeneous solution.
Below infographic summarizes the difference between miscible and soluble.
Summary – Miscible vs Soluble
In brief, the terms miscible and soluble refer to the mixing of two compounds to form one unit. The key difference between miscible and soluble is that the term miscible refers to the ability to mix a compound with another compound to make a homogeneous mixture, whereas the term soluble refers to the ability of a certain compound to dissolve in a solvent.
Reference:
1. “Solubility.” Wikipedia, Wikimedia Foundation, 9 Nov. 2019, Available here.
2. “Miscibility.” Wikipedia, Wikimedia Foundation, 19 Sept. 2019, Available here.
Image Courtesy:
1. “CNX Chem 11 03 bromine” By OpenStax – (CC BY 4.0) via Commons Wikimedia
2. “Soluble tablets in water” (CC-BY 4.0) via torange.biz