transferring a solute from one solvent into another is called extraction, or more precised. liquid-liquid extraction. the solute is extracted from one solvent into the other because the solute is more soluble in the second solvent than in the first. the two solvents must not be miscible, and they must form two separate phases or layers, in order for this procedure to work. extraction is used in many ways in organic chemistry. many natural are present in animal and plant tissues having high water content. extracting these tissues with a water-immiscible solvent is useful for isolating natural products. often, diethyl ether is used for this purpose. sometimes, alternative water-immiscible aolvent such as hexane, petroleum ether, ligroin, and methylene chloride are used. for instane, caffeine, a natural product, can be extracted from an aqueous tea solution by shaking it successively with several portions of methylene chloride.