What happens when a human red blood cell is placed in a hypotonic environment?
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When a human red blood cell is placed in a hypotonic environment, the cell will undergo a process called hemolysis. This is because a hypotonic environment has a lower solute concentration compared to the interior of the red blood cell.
To understand why hemolysis occurs, we need to understand the concept of osmosis. Osmosis is the movement of water across a semipermeable membrane from an area of higher water concentration to an area of lower water concentration.
In a hypotonic environment, the solution outside the red blood cell has a lower solute concentration than inside the cell. As a result, water molecules will move from the hypotonic solution outside the cell to the higher solute concentration inside the cell, trying to equalize the solute concentration on both sides of the membrane.
This influx of water causes the red blood cell to swell and eventually burst. This process is called hemolysis. The burst red blood cell releases its contents, including hemoglobin, into the surrounding solution.
To summarize, when a human red blood cell is placed in a hypotonic environment, water enters the cell, causing it to swell and eventually burst in a process called hemolysis.