The intracellular fluid concentration is 300 mOsm/kg. The extracellular fluid concentration is 280 mOsm/kg. The net movement of water is in which direction?
To determine the net movement of water between intracellular fluid (ICF) and extracellular fluid (ECF), we need to compare their osmotic concentrations. Osmolarity refers to the concentration of solute particles per unit volume of a solution.
Given that the concentration of ICF is 300 mOsm/kg and the concentration of ECF is 280 mOsm/kg, we can observe that the ICF is more concentrated than the ECF. This means that the ICF has a higher osmotic potential.
In osmosis, water moves from an area of lower osmotic potential to an area of higher osmotic potential. Therefore, since the ICF has a higher osmotic potential, the net movement of water will be from the ECF into the ICF. In other words, water will move into the cells to equalize the osmotic concentration between the two compartments.