One way in which chemists try to understand the substances in world around them is to observe the properties of the substances and to classify the substances based on their properties.
Broadly substances can be classified as pure substances or mixtures.
Mixtures can be classified as homogeneous (uniform throughout) or heterogeneous.
Solutions are an important examples of homogeneous mixtures.
Water is an important solvent.
Solutions in which water is the solvent are referred to as aqueous solutions.
Many ionic solids are soluble in water.
Broadly substances can be classified as pure substances or mixtures.
Mixtures can be classified as homogeneous (uniform throughout) or heterogeneous.
Solutions are an important examples of homogeneous mixtures.
| A solution is a mixture of a solute (often a solid) dissolved in a solvent (often a liquid). The solute is generally present in smaller amount than the solvent. Solutions of solids in liquids are clear (you can see through them). The colour of a solution depends on the solute; many solutions are colourless. The image shows a solution of the blue solid copper sulfate in water. Filtered seawater is an example of a colourless solution. |  |
Water is an important solvent.
Solutions in which water is the solvent are referred to as aqueous solutions.
Many ionic solids are soluble in water.
Seawater is an example of an aqueous solution in which one of the solutes is the ionic solid sodium chloride (table salt).