In ocean water, is salt a solvent or a solute?

1 Answer
Jun 17, 2017

Surely it is a #"solute........."#?

Explanation:

A solution is composed of a disperse phase, the #"SOLVENT"# and is ALSO the reagent in excess; it dissolves a #"SOLUTE"#, the species in solution.

Solutes and solvent can be gaseous, liquid or solids. The air we breathe is certainly an example of a solution. An alloy is also an example of a solution.

And for sea water, we have (among other things) sodium chloride dissolved in water to give discrete #Na^+# and #Cl^-# ions, i.e. the #"solute"#.