A homogeneous mixture is a mixture in which different components are mixed so that they appear to be one. A solution is a homogeneous mixture that is uniform throughout. A solvent is a substance that has other substances dissolved in it. The substance that is present in the largest amount is referred to as the solvent and the other substance is referred to as the solute. When a solute dissolves into a solvent no chemical reaction takes place and therefore can be separated using physical properties such as boiling or melting point.

The ability of a solvent to dissolve a solute depends on the forces of attraction between the particles. The intermolecular forces between solvent and solute particles determine solubility. An intermolecular force is the force that bonds atoms to each other in a molecule. As thermal energy increases the strong intermolecular force weakens.

An important property of...