What is the Difference Between Solution and Solvent

The key difference between solution and solvent is that a solution is a mixture of two or more components, whereas a solvent is a single component that can contribute to making a solution.

The terms solution and solvent are closely related to each other since a solvent makes the basis of a solution. However, there are several differences between solution and solvent.

CONTENTS

1. Overview and Key Difference
2. What is a Solution  
3. What is a Solvent 
4. Solution vs Solvent in Tabular Form
5. Summary – Solution vs Solvent 

What is a Solution?

A solution is a mixture of two or more substances that essentially occur in the liquid state. Typically, a solution has two major components: the solvent and the solute. We can dissolve the solutes in a suitable solvent. This mixing takes place depending on the polarities of the solutes and solvent (“like dissolves like” – polar solutes dissolve in polar solvents and nonpolar solutes dissolve in nonpolar solvents, but polar solutes do not dissolve in solvents). Moreover, the nature of a solution is homogeneous, which means the solvent and solute are distributed evenly throughout this mixture.

A solution usually occurs as a clear liquid substance with no turbidity. Furthermore, a solution is very stable and diffuses rapidly. The particles in a solution are below 1 nanometer in dimensions. Therefore, these particles cannot be seen by the naked eye. Furthermore, these particles do not settle down spontaneously; we can settle the particles in a solution only via centrifugation. In addition, we cannot separate their particles via filtration or sedimentation.

What is a Solvent?

A solvent is a substance with dissolving capability. Thus, it can dissolve another substance. Solvents can also occur in a liquid, gaseous, or solid state. However, we most commonly use liquids as solvents. Furthermore, among liquids, water is common as a universal solvent because it can dissolve many more substances than any other solvent. Moreover, we can dissolve gas, solid, or any other liquid solute in liquid solvents. But, in gas solvents, only gas solutes will dissolve.

Furthermore, there is a limit to the amount of solutes that we can add to a certain amount of solvent. We say the solution has become saturated if we have added the maximum amount of solutes to the solvent. There are two types of solvents as organic and inorganic solvents. For example, ether, hexane, and methylene chloride are organic solvents, whereas water is an inorganic solvent.

There are also two broad categories of solvents as polar solvents and non-polar solvents. Polar solvent molecules have a charge separation and are therefore capable of dissolving polar solutes. In the dissolution process, dipole-dipole interactions or dipole-induced dipole interactions may occur. We can further divide polar solvents into polar protic and polar aprotic solvents. Polar protic solvents are capable of hydrogen bond formation with solutes. Therefore, they solvate anions by hydrogen bonding. Water and methanol are polar protic solvents. Polar aprotic solvents cannot form hydrogen bonds. However, they have large dipole moments, form dipole-dipole interactions with ionic solutes, and solvate them. Acetone is a polar aprotic solvent.

What is the Difference Between Solution and Solvent?

Solution and solvent are related terms with some differences between them. The key difference between solution and solvent is that a solution is a mixture of two or more components, whereas a solvent is a single component that can contribute to making a solution. For example, an aqueous solution of sodium chloride is a homogenous solution, while water is the solvent in this solution.

The below infographic presents the differences between solution and solvent in tabular form for side-by-side comparison.

Summary – Solution vs Solvent

A solution is a mixture of two or more substances that essentially occur in the liquid state. A solvent, on the other hand, is a substance with dissolving capability. Thus, it can dissolve another substance. The key difference between solution and solvent is that a solution is a mixture of two or more components, whereas a solvent is a single component that can contribute to making a solution.

Reference:

1. “Solvent.” Encyclopædia Britannica, Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc.

Image Courtesy:

1. “Potassium permanganate solution in a glass flask” By Marco Verch Professional Photographer (CC BY 2.0) via Flickr
2. “MOED in different solvents” By LarsO96 – Own work (CC BY-SA 4.0) via Commons Wikimedia