What does it indicate if a solution is saturated?

A saturated solution is characterized by containing the maximum amount of solute that can dissolve in a solvent at a given temperature and pressure. When a solution is saturated, it means that any additional solute added will not dissolve and will instead remain undissolved at the bottom of the container, indicating that the solution has reached this limit.

In contrast, when a solution contains excess solute that does not dissolve, it is still considered saturated, but specifically, it indicates that the system has achieved this maximum solute capacity. Solutions with less solute than can be dissolved are considered unsaturated, meaning they could still dissolve more solute before reaching saturation. Lastly, a solution with no solute at all would be pure solvent, which does not convey any saturation status. Therefore, the correct choice clearly identifies the condition of having reached the solubility limit for the solute in the solution.