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What is a solvent?

In: Hydrocarbons, Acids & Bases, Selenium [Edit categories]

Answer:

1_A solvent is either a liquid or gas that takes into itself a solute (which can be in the state of a solid, liquid or gas) and creates a solution.
If we use a simple and easy example, we can get a handle on the idea. Take a glass of warm water, put a teaspoon of table salt in it, and stir it. The salt will dissolve in the water and "disappear" from view. The water is the solvent here, the salt is the solute in this example, and the resulting salt water is a solution that we created. It's that simple.
Wikipedia has more information, and a link is provided to their post on solvent.
A solvent is also the substance that dissolves the solute.

2_The solvent is the substance that the solute or solutes dissolve (disappear in solvent) in and it forms the bulk of the solution . In a suger solution, sugar is the solute and water is the solvent .

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First answer by JEK. Last edit by Mercyamofa. Contributor trust: 0 [recommend contributor ]. Question popularity: 45 [Recommended].

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Sources and related links: [Edit]

Wikipedia: Solvent

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Relevant answers:

Why add Solute to solvent instead of solvent to solvent?
Because when a solute and a solvent are combined, it creates a solution. When two solvents are combined, it just makes a stronger solvent.
What solvent is called universal solvent?
water
What do solvents have to do with solvents?
a solvent is a liquid that dissolved a solute and a solute is a material that is like sugar and salt and other things like that
What can solvents do to you?
Solvents are chemical substances that can dissolve, suspend or extract other materials usually without chemically changing either the solvents or the other materials. Solvents can be organic, meaning...
Do polar solvents dissolve polar solvents?
Yes. Like dissolves like!