ethanol is often used to dissolve things in. what is the name given to a chemical that something dissolves in?

The name given to a chemical that something dissolves in is a solvent.

Quick Scoop

• When a substance dissolves, that substance is called the solute.

• The substance doing the dissolving (like ethanol or water) is called the solvent.

• Together, solute + solvent form a solution , which is a homogeneous mixture.

So in your example, ethanol is acting as the solvent for whatever you are dissolving in it.