Solute — Definition & Overview

Solutes

The solute is the thing being dissolved in a solution. It makes up less of the solution than the solvent. It is soluble, which is another way to say that it can be dissolved.

When you mix sugar and water, the sugar is the solute being dissolved. Similarly, if you make lemonade, it's the lemon juice and sugar.

There are many types of solutes in the scientific world. Common ones in biology include sugar, carbon dioxide, and salt.

Concentration

The amount of solute in the solution changes the concentration of that solution. A solvent which contains very little of the substance being dissolved is called a dilute solution. A solvent with a lot of dissolved solute is called a concentrated solution because of its high concentration.

Types of Solutions

An unsaturated solution has some substance dissolved in the solvent, but it has the potential to dissolve much more.

In a saturated solution, the solvent contains a large amount of solute.

If any more is added, it won't dissolve in the solvent. Instead, the extra solute will precipitate (condense and fall) from the solution. This is known as a supersaturated solution.

Heating a solution up can increase the solubility of a substance, meaning that more stuff can dissolve faster. This is true for most solutes, but not all. Think of making iced tea and hot tea. The hot tea gets darker (more concentrated) much faster than the iced tea.

$$\color{#8925AE}{\text{Vocabulary Review:}}$$

$\color{#8925AE}{\text{Solution}}$ : A homogeneous mixture made of two or more substances

$\color{#8925AE}{\text{Solute}}$ : The substance dissolved in another substance

$\color{#8925AE}{\text{Solvent}}$ : The substance doing the dissolving–the majority of the solution

(Video) Solvent Solute Solution: What Is the Difference?

by MooMoo Math and Science

Watch this video to learn about solutes and solvents. These are the ingredients of a solution.

What Is a Solute?

A solution is a homogenenous mixture composed of one or more solutes uniformly dissolved in a solvent.

The main requirement for solutions is that the solute is distributed uniformly (evenly) throughout the solvent. This makes solutions a type of homogeneous mixture.

While we most often think of solutions as solids dissolved in liquids (for example, salt dissolved in water, sugar dissolved in tea, etc.), both solvents and solutes can be solids, liquids, or gases. This means we can have things like solid solutions or gaseous solutions.

Vocabulary:

1. Solution
2. Solvent
3. Solute

What Is a Solute?

A solute is a molecule that dissolves into a solvent.

There's a reason water in the ocean is called "salt water" and not "water salt". In this case, water is a solvent that contains dissolved salt. The salt is the solute. There is much more water in salt water than there is salt.