desolvating

Desolvating is the process of removing solvent molecules from around a solute or from a solution, thereby reducing the solvation shell and often inducing a change in physical state. It is a general concept used in chemistry, biochemistry, and materials science to describe solvent removal and its consequences.

Desolvation can occur through several mechanisms, including adding an antisolvent that lowers solubility, exchanging solvents with a less compatible medium, evaporating the solvent, or triggering chemical reactions that release solvent molecules. The outcome depends on the system, the relative affinities of solute and solvent, and the remaining solvent quality.

In polymer science, desolvation refers to precipitating a polymer from solution by removing or diluting the solvent, often by introducing a poorer solvent to form micro- or nanoparticles. In protein chemistry, desolvation methods may remove the hydration shell around proteins to drive precipitation and enable nanoparticle synthesis, such as albumin-based particles. In colloid and materials science, desolvation can drive phase separation, aggregation, or drying during solvent exchange in preparative processes.

Because the term describes a broad family of processes dependent on context, desolvation is distinct from solvating, which emphasizes the stabilizing interaction of solvent with solute.