Which term describes a medication powder dissolved in a liquid?

• A. Solute
• B. Solvent
• C. Standing orders
• D. Treatment protocols

Answer: (A)

In a solution, the substance that is dissolved is called the solute. When a medication powder is dissolved in a liquid, the powder becomes the solute and the liquid it’s dissolved into is the solvent. This forms a solution with a specific concentration of solute per volume of solvent, which is how doses are measured in practice.

The solvent describes the dissolving medium, not the dissolved material, so it wouldn’t fit. Standing orders and treatment protocols are unrelated to the chemistry of dissolution and describe medical directions rather than the components of a solution. Therefore, the term that best fits a medication powder dissolved in a liquid is solute.