Poor solvent意思

"Poor solvent" is a term used in chemistry to describe a solvent that is not very effective at dissolving a particular solute or substance. In other words, the solute is only slightly soluble or insoluble in the solvent under the given conditions. The effectiveness of a solvent depends on various factors, including the nature of the solute and solvent, temperature, pressure, and the presence of other substances that may affect solubility.

For example, water is a poor solvent for non-polar substances like oil because oil is composed of hydrocarbons that are not attracted to water's polar molecules. Conversely, a good solvent is one that dissolves a solute readily, forming a homogeneous solution under the given conditions.