What Are Examples of Solids in Gas Solutions?

Examples of solids in gas solutions include hydrogen in platinum and sulfur vapor in air. In chemistry and physics, there are three states of matter, which are solid, liquid and gas. From these states seven different types of solutions can form, including gas solutions, which involve the dissolving of gas particles into surrounding solid substances or the dissolving of solid particles into gas.

The formation of solutions requires the combination of a solvent and a solute. Solvents are considered the dissolving substances. In the case of the gas solution comprised of hydrogen and platinum, platinum is the solid substance, or solvent that the gas particles of hydrogen dissolve into. Solutes, in contrast, are gaseous elements that dissolve into surrounding hard or solid materials. In the gas solution of sulfur vapor in air, the solute is the solid substance of sulfur vapor that combines with air, which exists as a gas.

In some solutions, the solvent and solute are quite different in nature, which makes them easy to distinguish from each other. In solutions formed from like substances such as those prepared from two liquids or two solids, it is often harder to distinguish the solute from the substance. In these instances, solutes are typically considered to be the substances of lesser quantity that create the mixture.