SALT DISSOVES IN WATER THE WATER IS?

Water is the solvent in this case.

To find out what the solvent is in a given situation, you need to understand the concept of solubility. Solubility refers to the ability of a substance, known as the solute, to dissolve in another substance, the solvent, to form a homogeneous mixture called a solution.

In the case of salt dissolving in water, the solute is the salt, and the solvent is water. Salt (sodium chloride) is composed of sodium ions (Na+) and chloride ions (Cl-). When salt is mixed with water, the water molecules surround the individual sodium and chloride ions, causing them to separate or dissociate from each other.

This process of separation is known as dissolution, and it happens due to the attractive forces between the solute particles (salt) and the solvent particles (water). The polar nature of water molecules allows them to interact with the positive and negative ions in salt, leading to the dissociation of the salt into its constituent ions.

Being a polar molecule, water can dissolve many ionic compounds, such as salts, because it can overcome the electrostatic forces holding the ions together. This property of water makes it an excellent solvent for a wide range of substances, and it is often referred to as the universal solvent.

So, in the case of salt dissolving in water, the water acts as the solvent, allowing the salt to dissociate into its constituent ions and form a solution.