Crenation is the process in which red blood cells shrink and form a spiky surface when exposed to a hypertonic solution. To account for crenation, one can use a microscope to observe the changes in the shape of the red blood cells. Additionally, one can measure the osmolarity of the solution before and after the crenation to determine the level of hypertonicity that caused the crenation to occur. The pH of the solution can also be measured to ensure that it was not a contributing factor to the crenation. Finally, the process of crenation can be compared to the process of hemolysis (the bursting of red blood cells when exposed to a hypotonic solution) to gain a complete understanding of the effect of tonicity on red blood cells and their function.
