Liuottamat

Liuottamat is a term used in Finnish to refer to substances that have been dissolved in a solvent within a solution. In English, these are commonly called solutes. The word derives from the verb liuottaa, meaning to dissolve, with a plural suffix -mat.

In a solution, liuottamat are present in smaller amount than the solvent, and they interact with the solvent at the molecular level. They can be solid, liquid, or gaseous at room temperature, and may be electrolytes or non-electrolytes.

Concentration describes the amount of liuottamat in a given amount of solution, expressed as molarity, molality, mole fraction, or mass percent.

Solubility and phase behavior depend on temperature, pressure, and solvent properties; some liuottamat may saturate the solution, leading to precipitation.

Examples: common table salt (sodium chloride) and sugar (sucrose) dissolved in water; dissolved oxygen in water.

In practice, liuottamat are separated from solvents by distillation, crystallization, filtration, or chromatography.

In scientific contexts, liuottamat are studied in analytical chemistry, environmental science, and biochemistry to understand processes such as diffusion, osmosis, and reaction kinetics.

See also Solvent, Solution, Solute.