the Raoult effect

The Raoult effect, or Raoult's Law, describes how the vapor pressure of a solvent decreases when a non-volatile solute is added to it. In simpler terms, when you mix a liquid with a substance that doesn’t evaporate (like sugar in water), the overall tendency of the liquid to evaporate diminishes. This happens because the solute particles occupy space at the surface, reducing the number of solvent molecules that can escape into the air. This principle is important in understanding solutions and is widely applied in chemistry, particularly in industries and research concerning mixtures.