In chemistry, an ideal solution is a solution where the enthalpy of solution is zero. The closer to zero the enthalpy of solution is, the more "ideally" the solution behaves. This becomes important in properties such as colligative properties, where the calculated values hold truer the more ideal the solution. How ideally a solution is is analogous to how ideally a gas behaves, as described in the kinetic theory of matter.
An idealsolution is one where the interactions of the molecules of the solvent with each other are equal to their interactions with the solutes.
If both solute and solvent exist in equal quantities (such as in a 50% ethanol 50% water solution), the concepts of "solute" and "solvent" become less relevant, but the substance that is more often used as a solvent is normally designated as the solvent (in this case, water).
When a solute is dissolved into a solvent, especially polar solvents, a structure forms around it (a process called solvation), which allows the solute-solvent interaction to remain stable.
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