To understand the student's experiment and answer the questions, it's important to have some knowledge about osmosis. Osmosis is the movement of solvent molecules, typically water, from an area of lower solute concentration to an area of higher solute concentration through a semi-permeable membrane.
The student placed an egg in a 26% solute solution. Let's break down the questions:
1. What direction is the water moving?
In this case, since the solute concentration is higher in the solution (26%) compared to the inside of the egg, water will move from the inside of the egg (where the solute concentration is lower) towards the solution (where the solute concentration is higher). Therefore, water will move out of the egg and into the solution.
2. What type of solution is the egg placed in?
Based on the information provided, the egg is placed in a hypertonic solution. A hypertonic solution has a higher solute concentration compared to the solution on the other side of the membrane (in this case, the solution outside of the egg).
3. What will happen to the shape of the egg?
As water moves out of the egg, it will lose water and shrink. The egg will likely become smaller in size, as the water leaves the egg due to the osmotic movement towards the higher solute concentration in the solution.
It's worth noting that the second question regarding the 45% solute solution is unanswered due to insufficient information.