What term describes the portion of a solution that gets dissolved?

The term that describes the portion of a solution that gets dissolved is "solute." In a solution, the solute is the substance that is present in a lesser amount compared to the solvent, which is the component that dissolves the solute. When mixed, the solute particles disperse evenly throughout the solvent to form a homogeneous mixture known as a solution. This process involves interactions at the molecular level, where solvent molecules surround and interact with the solute particles, breaking them apart and distributing them throughout the solvent.

In contrast, the solvent is the component that does the dissolving, and the solution is the resulting mixture of solute and solvent. A suspension refers to a heterogeneous mixture in which larger particles are dispersed throughout a liquid but are not fully dissolved. Thus, the key concept is that the solute is the dissolvable component in a solution, making it the correct term for this question.