keeping osmosis in mind, would it be better to soak wilted flowers in distilled water or normal tap water?
I was thinking tap but I`m not sure why I`m thinking that. Maybe because tap water has a higher solute concentration that than distilled. i`m not sure. could you explain please? thanks
For the question above I was thinking more about hypertonic and hypotonic. In that sense which would be better?
Reread my previous answer. If you placed the cell in hypotonic, water diffused into the cell. So distilled is best.
With osmosis in mind, the distilled water would be better because increasing the solute concentration outside the flower cell wall will increase the flow of water from the cell to the outside. That is the opposite of what you want to revive wilted flowers. However, I doubt that tap water contains a solute concentration that much nigher (if higher at all) than the solution inside the flower. From another stand point, most (many may be a better word) city water supplies are treated with chlorine which is NOT good for flowers, wilted or otherwise. With regard to hypotonic and hypertonic, these work the same way as the osmosis. Given a choice, I wouldn't use tap water.
In the context of osmosis, the choice between using distilled water or normal tap water to soak wilted flowers depends on the concentration of solutes in each type of water.
Osmosis is the movement of solvent molecules (in this case, water) across a selectively permeable membrane from an area of lower solute concentration to an area of higher solute concentration. In other words, water tends to move from a hypotonic solution (lower solute concentration) to a hypertonic solution (higher solute concentration).
In this case, if you want to hydrate the wilted flowers, you would want to provide a solution that is hypotonic relative to the plants, so that water flows into the cells of the flowers. Based on the information you provided, your intuition is correct that tap water may be better in this context.
Tap water usually contains various minerals and ions, making it slightly hypertonic compared to distilled water. Therefore, tap water has a higher solute concentration than distilled water. By placing the wilted flowers in tap water, osmosis would occur, with water molecules moving into the flower cells, helping to rehydrate them.
On the other hand, distilled water has a lower solute concentration since it has gone through the process of distillation, which removes most minerals and impurities. As a result, the water is more hypotonic compared to tap water.
To summarize, in the case of using osmosis to rehydrate wilted flowers, soaking them in tap water would generally be more beneficial because the higher solute concentration in tap water would facilitate the flow of water into the flower cells, helping to restore their turgidity.
To determine whether it is better to soak wilted flowers in distilled water or normal tap water, we need to consider the principles of osmosis.
Osmosis is the movement of solvent molecules (in this case, water) across a semipermeable membrane from an area of lower solute concentration to an area of higher solute concentration. In the context of wilted flowers, we want to create an environment that allows water to move into the cells of the flower, which will help to rejuvenate them.
Both distilled water and tap water can be used for this purpose. However, it's important to understand the differences in the solute concentrations between the two options.
Distilled water has a very low solute concentration because it has undergone a process that removes impurities and dissolved substances. Tap water, on the other hand, often contains various dissolved minerals and additives, resulting in a higher solute concentration compared to distilled water.
When looking at hypertonic and hypotonic environments, we consider the concentration of solutes inside and outside the cells. If the solute concentration outside the cells is higher, it is considered hypertonic, and water tends to move out of the cells. If the solute concentration is lower outside the cells, it is considered hypotonic, and water tends to move into the cells.
In the case of wilted flowers, we want to create a hypotonic environment by soaking them in a solution that has a lower solute concentration than the cells of the flowers. This will encourage water to enter the cells via osmosis, helping to rehydrate them and restore their turgidity.
Based on this understanding, soaking wilted flowers in distilled water would be more beneficial. As distilled water has a lower solute concentration compared to tap water, it would create a hypotonic environment for the flowers, allowing water to move into the cells.
While tap water might also work, its higher solute concentration could potentially create a hypertonic environment initially, causing water to move out of the cells before reaching equilibrium. However, tap water contains minerals and nutrients that can benefit the flowers in the long run.
In summary, when considering osmosis and the hypertonic/hypotonic concept, soaking wilted flowers in distilled water, which has a lower solute concentration, would be a better choice to create a hypotonic environment and facilitate water uptake by the flower cells.