Plasmolysis of human red blood cells would occur if the cell were in .. solution
A) isotonic
B) hypertonic
C) hypotonic
D) none of these
I think it's B. I'm not too sure though.
hypertonic
D) none of these
Plasmolysis happens in plant cells.
does not happen in animal cells.
In plant cells it happens in hypertonic solutions.
The cell membrane inside the cell shrinks but the cell wall stays the same.
To determine the correct answer, let's first understand what plasmolysis is. Plasmolysis refers to the process in which a cell loses water and shrinks due to being placed in a solution with a higher solute concentration than that of the cell's cytoplasm.
Now, let's analyze the options:
A) Isotonic solution: An isotonic solution has the same solute concentration as the cell's cytoplasm. In an isotonic solution, the cell will neither gain nor lose water, resulting in no change in cell size. Therefore, plasmolysis would not occur in an isotonic solution.
B) Hypertonic solution: A hypertonic solution has a higher solute concentration than the cell's cytoplasm. In this case, water will tend to move out of the cell, leading to plasmolysis and shrinking of the cell. So, plasmolysis would occur in a hypertonic solution.
C) Hypotonic solution: A hypotonic solution has a lower solute concentration than the cell's cytoplasm. In this situation, water will tend to move into the cell, causing the cell to swell or potentially burst. Plasmolysis would not occur in a hypotonic solution.
D) None of these: This option is not consistent with the concept of plasmolysis.
Based on the explanations above, the correct answer would be B) Hypertonic solution, as plasmolysis of red blood cells occurs when they are placed in a hypertonic solution.