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When you make nimbu pani, you mix sugar into water until it dissolves. The sugar is the part that vanishes; the water does the dissolving. What do we call each part, and how much of each goes in? Let us see.
What are a solute and a solvent?
What are the two parts of a solution?
Solution
Solute and solvent
1. Solute
Dissolved
Smaller amount
Smaller amount
Example:
Sugar
2. Solvent
Dissolves it
Larger amount
Larger amount
Example:
Water
Solute
Solvent
The substance that gets
dissolved
The substance that
dissolves
the solute
Usually the smaller amount
Usually the larger amount
Sugar, in a sugar-and-water mixture
Water, in a sugar-and-water mixture
Solute + Solvent =
Solution
A solution is always homogeneous
- A solution forms when a solute is mixed with a solvent.
- The solute is the substance that gets dissolved.
- The solvent is the substance that dissolves the solute.
Example:
In sugar-and-water, sugar is the solute and water is the solvent.
Important Definitions
- Solute — the substance that gets dissolved in a solution.
- Solvent — the substance that dissolves the solute.
