opløst

Opløst is a term used in Danish and Norwegian to describe a substance that has been dispersed in a solvent to form a solution. It is the past participle of the verb opløse, which means to dissolve. In chemistry, an opløst substance no longer appears as a separate phase and is present in a solvent at the molecular or ionic level, resulting in a homogeneous mixture.

The extent of dissolution depends on factors such as solubility, temperature, and agitation. For solids dissolved in liquids, solubility generally increases with temperature up to a saturation point. In gases dissolved in liquids, higher pressure can increase solubility. Stirring, shaking, or increasing the contact surface between solute and solvent also speeds up dissolution.

In everyday language, opløst is used to describe foods, drinks, and medicines in which a substance has dissolved in a liquid, such as sugar opløst in tea. The term is part of a broader vocabulary around solutions and solubility, including related words for substances that dissolve, the liquids that do the dissolving, and the resulting homogeneous mixtures.

See also: solubility, dissolution, solution, solvent, solute.