what will happen to a red blood cell placed in a solution of 99.3% water and 0.7% salt?
water will rush into the blood cells causing them to become hypotonic, swell, and possibly rupture.
When a red blood cell is placed in a solution of 99.3% water and 0.7% salt, the process that occurs is called osmosis. Osmosis is the movement of water molecules across a semi-permeable membrane, from an area of lower solute concentration to an area of higher solute concentration.
In this case, the salt in the solution will create a higher solute concentration outside the red blood cell compared to the inside. This difference in solute concentration creates a concentration gradient, which causes water to move out of the red blood cell.
As a result, the red blood cell will undergo a process called crenation. Crenation is the shrinking and shriveling of a cell due to the loss of water. The water will diffuse out of the cell to try to equalize the concentration of solutes on both sides of the cell membrane.
Ultimately, the red blood cell will lose water and become dehydrated, causing it to shrink and lose its normal shape.
When a red blood cell is placed in a solution, it will undergo a process called osmosis. Osmosis is the movement of solvent molecules (in this case, water) from an area of lower solute concentration to an area of higher solute concentration, across a semipermeable membrane (such as the cell membrane).
In this scenario, the solution is composed of 99.3% water and 0.7% salt. The red blood cell is surrounded by a semipermeable membrane. The red blood cell contains water and other solutes, including dissolved ions.
Since the concentration of solutes (including salt ions) in the solution is lower than that inside the red blood cell, water molecules will tend to move from the solution into the cell through the cell membrane. This happens because water moves from an area of lower solute concentration (the solution) to an area of higher solute concentration (inside the cell), in an effort to achieve equilibrium.
The influx of water into the red blood cell causes it to swell or even burst, a condition known as hemolysis. This occurs because the intracellular environment of the cell contains higher solute concentration compared to the surrounding solution. The osmotic pressure gradient drives the movement of water into the cell, resulting in its expansion.
In summary, when a red blood cell is placed in a solution with 99.3% water and 0.7% salt, water will move into the cell through osmosis, leading to the swelling or bursting of the red blood cell, also known as hemolysis.