Solvent is defined as:

• A. The solvent's role is to slow reactions
• B. The substance in which the solute dissolves
• C. The solution
• D. The substance that is dissolved

Answer: (B)

A solvent is the medium in which a solute dissolves. In a saltwater solution, water is the solvent and salt is the solute, with the resulting mixture called the solution. The statement about the solvent slowing reactions describes an effect rather than what the solvent is. The whole mixed substance is the solution, not the dissolving medium. The substance that is dissolved is the solute, not the solvent.