Read the scenario.
A cell contains 90% water and 10% salt. The external solution contains 75% water and 25% salt.
Which statement is correct?
A>> The external solution is hypotonic, so the cell will shrink
B>> The external solution is hupotonic, so the cell will expand.
C>> the external solution is hypertonic, so the cell will expand.
D>> The external solution is hypertonic, so the cell will shrink.
I'm really thinking it's C... but I'm not one hundred percent
Hypotonic is when a cell is having a lower osmotic pressure than a particular fluid, typically a body fluid or intracellular fluid. Hypertonic is when a cell is having a higher osmotic pressure than a particular fluid, typically a body fluid or intracellular fluid. HYPERtonic causes cells to shrink and HYPOtonic causes cells to expand.
thank you so much!
To determine the correct answer, we need to understand the concepts of tonicity and how it affects the movement of water across a cell membrane.
Tonicity refers to the relative concentration of solutes (such as salt) in a solution compared to another solution. The key concept to remember is that water tends to move from an area of lower solute concentration to an area of higher solute concentration until equilibrium is reached.
In this scenario, we have a cell that contains 90% water and 10% salt, and an external solution that contains 75% water and 25% salt. We can compare the concentrations to determine if the external solution is hypotonic or hypertonic relative to the cell.
To do this, we need to compare the percentages of water in the cell and the external solution. We see that the external solution has a lower percentage of water (75%) compared to the cell (90%). This means that the external solution has a higher concentration of solutes (salt) compared to the cell.
Based on this analysis, we can conclude that the external solution is hypertonic relative to the cell. The correct statement is therefore D: "The external solution is hypertonic, so the cell will shrink."
In a hypertonic solution, water will move out of the cell to the area of higher solute concentration (the external solution) in an attempt to balance the concentrations. As a result, the cell will lose water and shrink.
So you were right, the correct answer is D.
water flows from the area of low salinity to the area of high salinity, or from hypo to hyper.
C is right.