What Do You Understand From The Terms - Solute, Solvent And Solution?

A simple example to illustrate the definition of solute, solvent and solution is a bucket of water containing dissolved soap powder used to wash your clothes at home. The water is the solvent and the soap is the solute. Together this combination of water and soap is called a soap solution. A cup of tea is also a solution.

The boiling water to which the tea, sugar and milk powder are added is the solvent, and the tea, sugar and milk powder are the solutes. Basically any substance that is soluble in a solute is called a solvent, and the combination of solute and solvent is known collectively as a solution. In chemistry also, a solution is a combination of two or more substances. These are mixed to form one single homogenous phase or substance. One of these substances is called a solvent, and the other substance or substances in which it is dissolved are called the solutes.

A solution may be in any of the three states of matter, namely solid, liquid or gaseous. The solvent is usually a liquid substance, and the substance that is usually in a larger quantity is known as the solvent.