If a cell membrane is both permeable to salt and water, what will immediately occur?
If a cell membrane is both permeable to salt and water, and there is a difference in concentration of salt or water molecules inside and outside the cell, osmosis and diffusion will occur immediately. Here is a step-by-step explanation of what will happen:
1. Initially, there will be a concentration difference of salt and water molecules on either side of the cell membrane. For example, if the salt concentration is higher outside the cell compared to inside, and the water concentration is higher inside the cell compared to outside.
2. Due to the permeability of the cell membrane to salt and water, the salt will diffuse across the membrane from the region of higher concentration (outside the cell) to the region of lower concentration (inside the cell). This movement of substances from higher to lower concentration is called diffusion.
3. Simultaneously, water molecules will also undergo osmosis. Osmosis is the movement of water molecules across a selectively permeable membrane from an area of higher water concentration to an area of lower water concentration.
4. As the salt concentration inside the cell increases due to the diffusion of salt, and the water concentration inside the cell decreases due to osmosis, there will be a net movement of water molecules from outside the cell to inside.
5. This osmosis-driven movement of water will continue until the concentrations of salt and water inside and outside the cell reach an equilibrium, where there is no further net movement of water molecules.
Overall, the immediate effect of the cell membrane's permeability to salt and water will be the diffusion of salt across the membrane and the osmosis of water molecules, resulting in a redistribution of salt and water to equalize their concentrations on both sides of the membrane.
If a cell membrane is permeable to both salt and water, the process of osmosis will occur. Osmosis is the movement of water across a semipermeable membrane from an area of low solute concentration to an area of high solute concentration, in order to equalize the solute concentration on both sides of the membrane.
In this case, salt can be considered the solute, and water is the solvent. When the cell membrane is permeable to both salt and water, salt molecules will move across the membrane, driven by their concentration gradient. At the same time, water molecules will also move across the membrane, trying to balance the concentration of solute on both sides of the membrane.
If the concentration of salt is higher outside the cell compared to inside, water will move out of the cell, causing it to shrink or dehydrate. Conversely, if the concentration of salt is higher inside the cell, water will move into the cell, causing it to swell or potentially burst.
Therefore, if a cell membrane is permeable to both salt and water, and there is a difference in salt concentration on either side of the membrane, the immediate consequence would be the movement of both salt and water across the membrane, resulting in a change in the cell's size and potentially its functionality.