PREFACE

A solvent is a fluid phase (liquid, gas, or plasma) that dissolves a solid, liquid, or gaseous solute, resulting in a solution. The most common solvent in everyday life is water.

The term organic solvent refers to most other solvents that are organic compounds and contain carbon atoms. Solvents usually have a low boiling point and evaporate easily or can be removed by distillation, thereby leaving the dissolved substance behind.

Solvents are usually clear and colorless liquids and most of them have a characteristic odor. The concentration of a solution is the amount of compound that is dissolved in a certain volume of solvent.

Solvents are categorized as follows: