Students' Lab Experiment: Investigating Aqueous Solutions

What is the original solution before evaporation in the students' lab experiment?

The original solution before evaporation is most likely a/an: ______.

Answer:

The original solution before evaporation is most likely an aqueous solution.

When students mixed salt and water, they essentially created what's termed in chemistry as an aqueous solution. The water here acts as a solvent, which dissolves the salt (the solute). After a week, when water (solvent) evaporated, only salt crystals were left, which suggests that the mixture was indeed a solution. It's important to note that this solution was homogeneous, meaning the solute (salt) molecules were evenly distributed in the solvent (water).

An aqueous solution is a type of solution where water acts as the solvent and salt as the solute. The homogeneous distribution of salt in water shows it was a solution.