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In chemistry, a solution is defined (per IUPAC) as a liquid or solid phase containing more than one substance in which one component is treated as the solvent and the others are solutes. Typically, the solute mole fractions are small enough that the mixture is considered dilute. A key related concept is concentration, which describes the amount of solute present in a given amount of solution or solvent. When water is the solvent, the solution is called an aqueous solution. Solutions can be classified by the physical state of the solvent: gaseous solutions (e.g., gases dissolved in gases like oxygen in nitrogen), liquid solutions (e.g., gases, liquids, or solids dissolved in liquids such as oxygen in water or sugar in water), and solid solutions (e.g., gases in metals, liquids in solids forming amalgams, or solids dissolved in solids such as alloys). The ability of one compound to dissolve in another is solubility, and solutions can be miscible or immiscible depending on whether components mix. Solution properties such as melting and boiling points change upon mixing and are described by colligative properties, while concentration can be quantified using measures like molarity, mole fraction, and volume fraction.
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In a solution, the solvent is the substance that dissolves the other components and is usually present in the greatest amount. It determines the solution's physical state and may be a gas, liquid, or solid. For example, in saltwater, water is the solvent and remains the liquid medium in which the salt dissolves. A solute is a substance dissolved in the solvent and may be present as a solid, liquid, gas, or ions. The amount of solute relative to the solvent or total solution determines the concentration. Solute–solvent compatibility influences solubility: polar solutes generally dissolve in polar solvents, while nonpolar solutes dissolve more readily in nonpolar solvents. When equal quantities are present, the distinction between solute and solvent becomes less important, although the substance functioning as the dissolving medium is normally called the solvent.
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