Dissolve vs. Melt — What's the Difference?
By Tayyaba Rehman & Urooj Arif — Updated on May 2, 2024
Dissolving is a process where a substance (solute) integrates into a solvent, creating a solution without changing chemical composition, while melting is a phase change from solid to liquid due to heat, without altering chemical structure.
Difference Between Dissolve and Melt
Table of Contents
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Key Differences
Dissolving involves a substance, known as the solute, becoming incorporated into another substance, called the solvent, to form a solution. This process typically occurs at the molecular or ionic level and does not involve a change in the solute's chemical composition. Common examples include sugar dissolving in water or salt in soup. On the other hand, melting is a physical change where a solid becomes a liquid as a result of temperature increase. The substance maintains its chemical identity during this change. Ice turning into water and butter becoming liquid are typical examples.
The mechanisms of dissolving and melting are fundamentally different. Dissolving is a chemical process that involves the interaction between solute and solvent molecules, often facilitated by polarity, resulting in a homogeneous mixture. Melting, however, is a physical process driven by heat which increases molecular motion to a point where the solid structure collapses into a liquid form.
Environmental conditions play different roles in each process. The solubility of a substance in a solvent can vary widely with temperature, pressure, and the nature of the solvent itself. In contrast, the melting point of a substance is generally consistent and characteristic for a given pressure, mainly influenced by temperature.
Dissolving can be reversible or irreversible depending on the solute-solvent combination and the conditions under which dissolution occurs. Reversibility in melting is straightforward, typically occurring when the heat source is removed and the temperature drops below the substance's melting point, allowing it to solidify again.
Applications of each process also vary. Dissolving is crucial in areas like pharmaceuticals, where drug delivery often depends on dissolving pills in bodily fluids, and in culinary practices, such as making solutions and mixtures. Melting is fundamental in metal and plastic industries for molding materials, and in everyday tasks like cooking.
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Comparison Chart
Definition
Process of a solute integrating into a solvent to form a solution.
Phase change from solid to liquid due to heat.
Change Type
Chemical process involving molecular interactions.
Physical change due to temperature increase.
Examples
Sugar in water, salt in soup.
Ice to water, butter to liquid.
Influence Factors
Solvent type, temperature, solute nature.
Primarily temperature.
Reversibility
Can be reversible or irreversible.
Reversible by cooling.
Compare with Definitions
Dissolve
To become incorporated into a liquid so as to form a solution.
Salt dissolves in water to create a saline solution.
Melt
To become softened in feeling gradually.
His heart melted when he saw the puppy.
Dissolve
To go into solution or become liquid.
Stir until the sugar fully dissolves.
Melt
To make a solid substance liquid by heating it.
Melt the butter in a pan before adding the onions.
Dissolve
To be absorbed or assimilated into a liquid.
The medication needs to dissolve completely before swallowing.
Melt
To change from a solid to a liquid state usually through heat.
The ice cream will melt if left out of the freezer.
Dissolve
To cause a substance to pass into solution.
Acids can dissolve certain metals.
Melt
To cause to pass away or fade.
The morning sun melted the frost.
Dissolve
To disperse or disappear by becoming part of a liquid.
The dye tablets quickly dissolved in the bathwater.
Melt
To become liquid under heat.
The candle wax melted quickly in the flame.
Dissolve
To cause to pass into solution
Dissolve salt in water.
Melt
Make or become liquefied by heat
The hot metal melted the wax
Place under a hot grill until the cheese has melted
Dissolve
To reduce (solid matter) to liquid form; melt.
Melt
Make or become more tender or loving
She was so beautiful that I melted
Richard gave her a smile that melted her heart
Dissolve
To cause to lose definition; blend or blur
"Morality has finally been dissolved in pity" (Leslie Fiedler).
Melt
Leave or disappear unobtrusively
The compromise was accepted and the opposition melted away
Dissolve
To cause to disappear or vanish; dispel
The sun dissolved the fog. That remark dissolved the tension in the room.
Melt
An act or period of melting
The precipitation falls as snow and is released during the spring melt
Dissolve
To break into component parts; disintegrate
The deal dissolved the company into three separate businesses.
Melt
To be changed from a solid to a liquid state especially by the application of heat.
Dissolve
To bring to an end, as by breaking up; terminate or annul
"General de Gaulle was returned to power ... with a mandate to dissolve an overseas empire that had turned into a nightmare" (Alison Jolly).
Melt
To dissolve
Sugar melts in water.
Dissolve
To dismiss (an assembly such as a legislative body).
Melt
To disappear or vanish gradually as if by dissolving
The crowd melted away after the rally.
Dissolve
To cause to be moved emotionally or upset.
Melt
To pass or merge imperceptibly into something else
Sea melted into sky along the horizon.
Dissolve
To pass into solution
Salt dissolves easily in water.
Melt
To become softened in feeling
Our hearts melted at the child's tears.
Dissolve
To become liquid; melt
The clumps of snow dissolved into puddles.
Melt
(Obsolete) To be overcome or crushed, as by grief, dismay, or fear.
Dissolve
To lose definition; become blurred or indistinguishable
"The last shadows have dissolved into darkness" (Daniel Blajan).
Melt
To change (a solid) to a liquid state especially by the application of heat.
Dissolve
To become disintegrated; disappear
The mist dissolves as the sun rises.
Melt
To dissolve
The tide melted our sand castle away.
Dissolve
To be broken up into separate parts
The empire dissolved into many separate countries.
Melt
To cause to disappear gradually; disperse.
Dissolve
To be brought to an end; be annulled or terminated
After a long separation, the marriage finally dissolved.
Melt
To cause (units) to blend
"Here individuals of all races are melted into a new race of men" (Michel Guillaume Jean de Crèvecoeur).
Dissolve
To be moved or overcome emotionally
I dissolved into helpless laughter.
Melt
To soften (someone's feelings); make gentle or tender.
Dissolve
To make a transition between shots in a cinematic work using a superimposition in which the first shot fades out while the second shot gradually appears.
Melt
A melted solid; a fused mass.
Dissolve
A transition in a cinematic work consisting of a superimposition in which the first shot fades out while the second shot gradually appears. Also called lap dissolve.
Melt
The state of being melted.
Dissolve
(transitive) To terminate a union of multiple members actively, as by disbanding.
The ruling party or coalition sometimes dissolves parliament early when the polls are favorable, hoping to reconvene with a larger majority.
Melt
The act or operation of melting.
Dissolve
(transitive) To destroy, make disappear.
Melt
The quantity melted at a single operation or in one period.
Dissolve
(transitive) To liquify, melt into a fluid.
Melt
A usually open sandwich topped with melted cheese
A tuna melt.
Dissolve
(intransitive) To be melted, changed into a fluid.
Melt
Molten material, the product of melting.
Dissolve
To disintegrate chemically into a solution by immersion into a liquid or gas.
Melt
The transition of matter from a solid state to a liquid state.
Dissolve
To be disintegrated by such immersion.
Melt
The springtime snow runoff in mountain regions.
Dissolve
(transitive) To disperse, drive apart a group of persons.
Melt
A melt sandwich.
Dissolve
(transitive) To break the continuity of; to disconnect; to loosen; to undo; to separate.
Melt
(geology) Rock showing evidence of having been remelted after it originally solidified.
Numerous samples of breccia and impact melts were recovered by drilling into the floor of the crater.
Dissolve
To annul; to rescind; to discharge or release.
To dissolve an injunction
Melt
A wax-based substance for use in an oil burner as an alternative to mixing oils and water.
Dissolve
To shift from one shot to another by having the former fade out as the latter fades in.
Melt
An idiot.
Dissolve
(intransitive) To resolve itself as by dissolution.
Melt
(ergative) To change (or to be changed) from a solid state to a liquid state, usually by a gradual heat.
I melted butter to make a cake.
When the weather is warm, the snowman will disappear; he will melt.
Dissolve
(obsolete) To solve; to clear up; to resolve.
Melt
To dissolve, disperse, vanish.
His troubles melted away.
Dissolve
To relax by pleasure; to make powerless.
Melt
To soften, as by a warming or kindly influence; to relax; to render gentle or susceptible to mild influences; sometimes, in a bad sense, to take away the firmness of; to weaken.
Dissolve
(cinematography) a form of film punctuation in which there is a gradual transition from one scene to the next
Melt
(intransitive) To be discouraged.
Dissolve
To separate into competent parts; to disorganize; to break up; hence, to bring to an end by separating the parts, sundering a relation, etc.; to terminate; to destroy; to deprive of force; as, to dissolve a partnership; to dissolve Parliament.
Lest his ungoverned rage dissolve the life.
Melt
To be emotionally softened or touched.
She melted when she saw the romantic message in the Valentine's Day card.
Dissolve
To break the continuity of; to disconnect; to disunite; to sunder; to loosen; to undo; to separate.
Nothing can dissolve us.
Down fell the duke, his joints dissolved asunder.
For one people to dissolve the political bands which have connected them with another.
Melt
To be very hot and sweat profusely.
I need shade! I'm melting!
Dissolve
To convert into a liquid by means of heat, moisture, etc.,; to melt; to liquefy; to soften.
As if the world were all dissolved to tears.
Melt
See 2d Milt.
Dissolve
To solve; to clear up; to resolve.
Make interpretations and dissolve doubts.
Melt
To reduce from a solid to a liquid state, as by heat; to liquefy; as, to melt wax, tallow, or lead; to melt ice or snow.
Dissolve
To relax by pleasure; to make powerless.
Angels dissolved in hallelujahs lie.
Melt
To soften, as by a warming or kindly influence; to relax; to render gentle or susceptible to mild influences; sometimes, in a bad sense, to take away the firmness of; to weaken.
Thou would'st have . . . melted down thy youth.
For pity melts the mind to love.
Dissolve
To annul; to rescind; to discharge or release; as, to dissolve an injunction.
Melt
To be changed from a solid to a liquid state under the influence of heat; as, butter and wax melt at moderate temperatures.
Dissolve
To waste away; to be dissipated; to be decomposed or broken up.
Melt
To dissolve; as, sugar melts in the mouth.
Dissolve
To become fluid; to be melted; to be liquefied.
A figureTrenched in ice, which with an hour's heatDissolves to water, and doth lose his form.
Melt
To be softened; to become tender, mild, or gentle; also, to be weakened or subdued, as by fear.
My soul melteth for heaviness.
Melting with tenderness and kind compassion.
Dissolve
To fade away; to fall to nothing; to lose power.
The charm dissolves apace.
Melt
To lose distinct form or outline; to blend. See fondue.
The soft, green, rounded hills, with their flowing outlines, overlapping and melting into each other.
Dissolve
(film) a gradual transition from one scene to the next; the next scene is gradually superimposed as the former scene fades out
Melt
To disappear by being dispersed or dissipated; as, the fog melts away.
Dissolve
Cause to go into a solution;
The recipe says that we should dissolve a cup of sugar in two cups of water
Melt
The process whereby heat changes something from a solid to a liquid;
The power failure caused a refrigerator melt that was a disaster
The thawing of a frozen turkey takes several hours
Dissolve
Pass into a solution;
The sugar quickly dissolved in the coffee
Melt
Reduce or cause to be reduced from a solid to a liquid state, usually by heating;
Melt butter
Melt down gold
The wax melted in the sun
Dissolve
Become weaker;
The sound faded out
Melt
Become or cause to become soft or liquid;
The sun melted the ice
The ice thawed
The ice cream melted
The heat melted the wax
The giant iceberg dissolved over the years during the global warming phase
Dethaw the meat
Dissolve
Come to an end;
Their marriage dissolved
The tobacco monopoly broke up
Melt
Become more relaxed, easygoing, or genial;
With age, he mellowed
Dissolve
Stop functioning or cohering as a unit;
The political wing of the party dissolved after much internal fighting
Melt
Lose its distinct outline or shape; blend gradually;
Hundreds of actors were melting into the scene
Dissolve
Cause to lose control emotionally;
The news dissolved her into tears
Melt
Become less clearly visible or distinguishable; disappear gradually or seemingly;
The scene begins to fade
The tree trunks are melting into the forest at dusk
Dissolve
Lose control emotionally;
She dissolved into tears when she heard that she had lost all her savings in the pyramid scheme
Melt
Become less intense and fade away gradually;
Her resistance melted under his charm
Dissolve
Cause to fade away;
Dissolve a shot or a picture
Dissolve
Become or cause to become soft or liquid;
The sun melted the ice
The ice thawed
The ice cream melted
The heat melted the wax
The giant iceberg dissolved over the years during the global warming phase
Dethaw the meat
Dissolve
Bring the association of to an end or cause to break up;
The decree officially dissolved the marriage
The judge dissolved the tobacco company
Dissolve
Declare void;
The President dissolved the parliament and called for new elections
Common Curiosities
What happens at the molecular level during dissolving?
During dissolving, molecules of the solute interact with molecules of the solvent, breaking intermolecular bonds to integrate uniformly.
What determines the melting point of a substance?
The melting point is primarily determined by the forces holding the solid's molecules together; stronger forces mean higher melting points.
Can all solids dissolve in liquids?
No, the solubility of a solid in a liquid depends on the chemical properties of both the solid and the liquid.
How does pressure affect melting?
Pressure can affect melting points; generally, increasing pressure raises the melting point, though water is a notable exception.
How do solvents play a role in dissolving?
Solvents facilitate dissolving by interacting with solute particles, breaking intermolecular bonds and dispersing the solute uniformly.
What are practical applications of melting in everyday life?
Practical applications include cooking, metal casting, and the manufacture of thermoplastics.
What is meant by an irreversible dissolving process?
An irreversible dissolving process is one where the solute cannot be easily separated from the solvent, such as when mixing cement in water.
Is melting considered a chemical reaction?
No, melting is a physical change and does not involve altering the chemical structure of the substance.
Why do some substances dissolve faster than others?
Dissolution rate can be influenced by factors such as temperature, solvent agitation, and the surface area of the solute.
What can prevent a solid from melting?
Absence of sufficient heat or an environment below the solid's melting point can prevent it from melting.
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Written by
Tayyaba RehmanTayyaba Rehman is a distinguished writer, currently serving as a primary contributor to askdifference.com. As a researcher in semantics and etymology, Tayyaba's passion for the complexity of languages and their distinctions has found a perfect home on the platform. Tayyaba delves into the intricacies of language, distinguishing between commonly confused words and phrases, thereby providing clarity for readers worldwide.
Co-written by
Urooj ArifUrooj is a skilled content writer at Ask Difference, known for her exceptional ability to simplify complex topics into engaging and informative content. With a passion for research and a flair for clear, concise writing, she consistently delivers articles that resonate with our diverse audience.
