Illustrated Glossary of Organic Chemistry

Solvent: A substance (usually a liquid) added to dissolve other substance(s). The table shows some common solvents used in an organic chemistry laboratory.

Polar (ε > 20) Aprotic Solvents






DMSO
(Dimethylsulfoxide)
  
DMF
(N,N-Dimethylformamide)
  
Acetone
(2-Propanone)
  
Acetonitrile

Polar (ε > 20) Protic Solvents




Water   
Methanol
(Methyl alcohol; MeOH)
   
Ethanol
(Ethyl alcohol; EtOH)

Nonpolar (ε < 20) Aprotic Solvents









THF
(Tetrahydrofuran)
  
Ether
(Diethyl ether)
  
Methylene chloride
(Dichloromethane)
  
Chloroform
(Trichloromethane)
  
Carbon tetrachloride
(Tetrachloromethane)






Toluene
(Methylbenzene)
  
Ethyl acetate
(EtOAc)
  
Hexane

Nonpolar (ε < 20) Protic Solvents





Acetic acid
(HOAc)
  
Isopropanol
(2-Propanol)
  
Tert-butanol
(2-Methyl-2-propanol)


1-Octanol