What happens when a substance dissolves in a liquid?

When a substance dissolves in a liquid, it undergoes a process where its molecules or ions disperse and become uniformly distributed throughout the liquid. This process is akin to mixing, where the solute (the substance being dissolved) interacts with the solvent (the liquid doing the dissolving) in such a way that the properties of both are altered within the solution. For example, when salt dissolves in water, the salt molecules separate and spread out in the water, leading to a homogeneous mixture.

This complete mixing is pivotal in various applications, such as in cooking, where sugar dissolves in water to create syrups or solutions, and in chemical processes where reactants must be uniformly distributed for a reaction to occur effectively. This interaction indicates that any distinction between the solute and solvent diminishes, resulting in a solution where the original properties of the solute can no longer be easily identified.