Direct comparison
Solute vs solvent
The solute is the substance that dissolves; the solvent is the substance it dissolves into. Together they make a solution.
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Side-by-side comparison
| Dimension | Solute | Solvent |
|---|---|---|
| What it is | The substance that dissolves. | The substance that does the dissolving. |
| Usual amount | Usually the smaller amount. | Usually the larger amount. |
| Role | Becomes dispersed as particles or ions. | Surrounds and separates the solute particles. |
| State | Can be a solid, liquid or gas. | Most often a liquid, but can be solid or gas. |
| In salt water | The salt. | The water. |
| In fizzy drink | The carbon dioxide gas and sugar. | The water. |
| In air | Oxygen and other minor gases. | Nitrogen (the major component). |
| After mixing | Spread evenly throughout the solvent. | Holds the solute in a uniform solution. |
| Recoverable by | Evaporation or crystallisation. | Evaporation, leaving the solute behind. |
How to tell which is which
The simplest guide is amount: the substance present in the larger quantity is usually the solvent, and the lesser one is the solute. In salt water there is far more water than salt, so water is the solvent. The other reliable clue is state: when a solid dissolves in a liquid, the liquid is almost always the solvent and the solid the solute. Water dissolves so many substances that it is called the universal solvent, but solvents need not be liquids — an alloy is a solid solution, where one solid metal is dissolved within another.
Common questions
FAQ
Is water always the solvent?+
Very often, but not always. Water dissolves a huge range of substances, so it is the solvent in most everyday solutions and is nicknamed the universal solvent. But other liquids act as solvents too — ethanol and acetone dissolve many things water cannot. And in a solution where water is the smaller component dissolved into another liquid, water would itself be the solute.
Can a solute or solvent be a gas?+
Yes. A solution can form in any state. Air is a solution of gases, with nitrogen as the solvent and oxygen and others as solutes. A fizzy drink has carbon dioxide gas as a solute dissolved in liquid water. Solid solutions also exist — alloys such as brass are solids dissolved in solids.
What is the difference between dissolving and melting?+
They are different processes. Dissolving means a solute disperses into a solvent to form a solution, and needs two substances. Melting is a single substance changing from solid to liquid when heated, with no second substance involved. Sugar dissolving in tea is dissolving; ice turning to water is melting.
Going deeper
