Saturation

Description

1) A color at maximum intensity or purity. A saturated color has not been mixed with white or black. Also called intensity.

2) The state of a solution when it has the maximum amount of solute dissolved under given conditions. For example, a saturated salt solution has undissolved salt present in the solution to ensure that the maximum available salt ions are dissolved.

3) The condition in which two physical states coexist in equilibrium. For example, air saturated with water vapor exists in an equilibrium with liquid water.

4) A hydrocarbon compound that does not have any double bonds. Hexane is a saturated hydrocarbon.

5) Any material filled to capacity or charge thoroughly.

Resources and Citations

• Ralph Mayer, A Dictionary of Art Terms and Techniques, Harper and Row Publishers, New York, 1969 (also 1945 printing)

• ASTM, Standard Terminology of Microscopy, Annual Book of ASTM Standards, Section 14, General Methods and Instrumentation, ASTM, E175, 75-78, May 1982

• ASTM, "Standard Terminology Relating to Paint, Varnish, Lacquer and Related Products", Annual Book of ASTM Standards, Section 6, Paints, Related Coatings and Aromatics, ASTM, D16, 7-Jan, Jul-96

• The American Heritage Dictionary or Encarta, via Microsoft Bookshelf 98, Microsoft Corp., 1998

• Thomas Gregory, The Condensed Chemical Dictionary, Reinhold Publishing, New York, 3rd ed., 1942

• Random House, Webster's Encyclopedic Unabridged Dictionary of the English Language, Grammercy Book, New York, 1997