Editing Solvent (section)

==Solutions and solvation==
When one substance is [[Dissolution (chemistry)|dissolved]] into another, a [[Solution (chemistry)|solution]] is formed.<ref>{{cite book | last1 = Tinoco | first1 = Ignacio | last2 = Sauer | first2 = Kenneth | last3 = Wang | first3 = James C. | name-list-style = vanc | date = 2002 | title = Physical Chemistry | publisher = Prentice Hall | page = [https://archive.org/details/solutionsmanualp0000unse/page/134 134] | isbn = 978-0-13-026607-1 | url = https://archive.org/details/solutionsmanualp0000unse/page/134 }}</ref> This is opposed to the situation when the compounds are [[insoluble]] like sand in water. In a solution, all of the ingredients are uniformly distributed at a molecular level and no residue remains. A solvent-solute mixture consists of a single [[Phase (matter)|phase]] with all solute molecules occurring as ''solvates'' (solvent-solute [[Coordination complex|complexes]]), as opposed to separate continuous phases as in suspensions, emulsions and other types of non-solution mixtures. The ability of one compound to be dissolved in another is known as solubility; if this occurs in all proportions, it is called [[miscibility|miscible]].

In addition to mixing, the substances in a solution interact with each other at the molecular level. When something is dissolved, molecules of the solvent arrange around [[molecule]]s of the solute. [[Heat transfer]] is involved and [[entropy]] is increased making the solution more [[thermodynamically stable]] than the solute and solvent separately. This arrangement is mediated by the respective chemical properties of the solvent and solute, such as [[hydrogen bonding]], [[Bond dipole moment|dipole moment]] and [[polarizability]].<ref>Lowery and Richardson, pp. 181–183</ref> Solvation does not cause a chemical reaction or chemical configuration changes in the solute. However, solvation resembles a [[coordination complex]] formation reaction, often with considerable energetics (heat of solvation and entropy of solvation) and is thus far from a neutral process.

When one substance dissolves into another, a solution is formed. A solution is a homogeneous mixture consisting of a solute dissolved into a solvent. The solute is the substance that is being dissolved, while the solvent is the dissolving medium. Solutions can be formed with many different types and forms of solutes and solvents.