Solvent

Description

Any liquid which dissolves another compound (solute) to form a homogeneous solution. Solvents are characterized by their polarity, evaporation rate and composition. Water is the most common solvent. It is strongly polar. Organic solvents, such as acetone, alcohol ethanol, (oil) turpentine, chloroform, and disulfide carbon disulfide are less polar. Hydrocarbon solvents such as hexane and spirits mineral spirits are nonpolar. Many solvents are volatile and some are flammable and toxic.

Additional Information

R. J. Gettens, G.L. Stout, Painting Materials, A Short Encyclopaedia, Dover Publications, New York, 1966 - contains tables and charts comparing properties of pur solvents (pp. 202-205, 207, 208). Alan Phenix, 'The Sweilling of Artists' Paints in Organic Solvents, Part 1 and Part 2', JAIC 41(1), 2002. -contains substantial information on the properties of solvent mixtures. (pp. 43-90).

Comparisons

Properties of Common Solvents

Authority

• R. J. Gettens, G.L. Stout, R. J. Gettens, G.L. Stout, Painting Materials, A Short Encyclopaedia, Dover Publications, New York, 1966

• G.S.Brady, G.S.Brady, Materials Handbook, McGraw-Hill Book Co., New York, 1971 Comment: p. 742

• Ralph Mayer, Ralph Mayer, A Dictionary of Art Terms and Techniques, Harper and Row Publishers, New York, 1969 (also 1945 printing)

• Richard S. Lewis, Richard S. Lewis, Hawley's Condensed Chemical Dictionary, Van Nostrand Reinhold, New York, 10th ed., 1993

• Matt Roberts, Don Etherington, Matt Roberts, Don Etherington, Bookbinding and the Conservation of Books: a Dictionary of Descriptive Terminology, U.S. Government Printing Office, Washington DC, 1982

• Van Nostrand's Scientific Encyclopedia, Douglas M. Considine (ed.), Van Nostrand Reinhold, New York, 1976

• Random House, Random House, Webster's Encyclopedic Unabridged Dictionary of the English Language, Grammercy Book, New York, 1997

• The American Heritage Dictionary or Encarta, via Microsoft Bookshelf 98, Microsoft Corp., 1998

• Website address 1, Website address 1 Comment: AMOL reCollections Glossary -http://amol.org.au/recollections/7/c/htm