A Sample of seaweed contains 1 Liter of water and has 50 grams of salt dissolved in its cells. The seaweed is placed in a solution made of 2 Liters of water and 150 grams of dissolved salt. What will occur when the system reaches equilibrium?
A. The seaweed will absorb 0.5 Liters of water
B. The sea weed will lose 0.5 Liters of water
C. The seaweed will absorb 1.0 liters of water.
D. The solution will lose 0.5 liters of water.
I think the answer is B
your thinking is exactly correct.
To determine what will occur when the system reaches equilibrium, we need to analyze the process of osmosis. Osmosis is the movement of water across a semi-permeable membrane from an area of lower solute concentration to an area of higher solute concentration.
In this scenario, the seaweed contains 50 grams of salt dissolved in its cells, while the solution outside the seaweed contains 150 grams of dissolved salt. Therefore, the seaweed has a lower solute concentration compared to the surrounding solution.
During osmosis, water will move from an area of lower solute concentration (the seaweed) to an area of higher solute concentration (the surrounding solution) in an attempt to equalize the solute concentrations on both sides of the membrane.
Based on this understanding, we can conclude that the seaweed will absorb water until the solute concentrations inside and outside the cells are equal. Therefore, the correct answer is C. The seaweed will absorb 1.0 liter of water.
Option A suggests that the seaweed will absorb 0.5 liters of water, which is incorrect. Option B suggests that the seaweed will lose 0.5 liters of water, which is also incorrect. Option D states that the solution will lose 0.5 liters of water, which is not supported by the process of osmosis.