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**The Role of Solvents in the Laboratory: From Solvents to Reaction Control**
Solvents in the laboratory are like the air in which reactions breathe. Without them, many chemical processes would stop or not be possible at all. But their role goes beyond being an “inert substance”; they can sometimes determine the fate of an experiment.
Some solvents are used only to dissolve substances, such as water, which absorbs salts, or ethanol, which dissolves organic compounds. But others, such as dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO), not only dissolve, but may themselves interfere with the reaction or even increase the toxicity of the experiment. Choosing the wrong solvent can ruin a synthesis that takes hours.
Solvents sometimes play the role of an “invisible stage.” For example, in chromatography, the type of solvent determines how quickly substances pass through the column. Or in spectroscopy, the solvent must be chosen so that it does not interfere with the sample optically. Even the boiling point of the solvent is important—sometimes we need a low-temperature solvent so that it does not destroy the heat-sensitive material, and sometimes, conversely, we want a high-boiling solvent so that the reaction proceeds at a higher temperature.
Some reactions cannot be carried out without a specific solvent at all. For example, Grignard reactions must be carried out in anhydrous ether, because the smallest amount of water can destroy the reaction. Or dissolution reactions in which the solvent is not only the medium, but also one of the reactants itself.
Even in purification, solvents are decisive. Recrystallization is impossible without a suitable solvent—a solvent must be chosen that dissolves the sample poorly at low temperatures, but readily accepts it at high temperatures. A mistake in this choice can deliver an amorphous substance instead of pure crystals.
So solvents in the laboratory are not just “silent liquids.” They can be the friend or foe of an experiment, and the chemist must understand their properties to make the best choice. Sometimes the success of an experiment lies not in the choice of reactants, but in choosing the right solvent.
