Solvent

solvent, substance, ordinarily a liquid, in which other materials dissolve to form a solution. Polar solvents (e.g., water) favour formation of ions; nonpolar ones (e.g., hydrocarbons) do not. Solvents may be predominantly acidic, predominantly basic, amphoteric (both), or aprotic (neither). A solvent is a chemical substance that dissolves another chemical substance to form a solution of a homogeneous mixture. The solvent is the component in the solution that is present in the largest amount and determines the physicochemical form of the substance as either solid, liquid or gas.