How does hypotonic solution affect the cell

This results in swelling of the cell and potential hemolysis bursting of the cell. In an isotonic solution, the flow of water in and out of the cell is happening at the same rate. Osmosis is the diffusion of water molecules across a semipermeable membrane from an area of lower concentration solution i.

Water moves into and out of cells by osmosis. A red blood cell will swell and undergo hemolysis burst when placed in a hypotonic solution. When placed in a hypertonic solution, a red blood cell will lose water and undergo crenation shrivel. Animal cells tend to do best in an isotonic environment, where the flow of water in and out of the cell is occurring at equal rates.

Passive transport is a way that small molecules or ions move across the cell membrane without input of energy by the cell. The three main kinds of passive transport are diffusion or simple diffusion , osmosis, and facilitated diffusion.

Simple diffusion and osmosis do not involve transport proteins. Facilitated diffusion requires the assistance of proteins. Diffusion is the movement of molecules from an area of high concentration of the molecules to an area with a lower concentration. For cell transport, diffusion is the movement of small molecules across the cell membrane. The difference in the concentrations of the molecules in the two areas is called the concentration gradient.

The kinetic energy of the molecules results in random motion, causing diffusion. In simple diffusion, this process proceeds without the aid of a transport protein. It is the random motion of the molecules that causes them to move from an area of high concentration to an area with a lower concentration.

Diffusion will continue until the concentration gradient has been eliminated. Since diffusion moves materials from an area of higher concentration to the lower, it is described as moving solutes "down the concentration gradient". The end result is an equal concentration, or equilibrium , of molecules on both sides of the membrane. At equilibrium, movement of molecules does not stop.

At equilibrium, there is equal movement of materials in both directions. Not everything can make it into your cells. Animal cells Plant cells. If the solution is isotonic relative to the cell, then the solute concentrations are the same on both sides of the membrane and water moves equally in both directions.

A hypotonic solution has decreased solute concentration, and a net movement of water inside the cell, causing swelling or breakage. Problem 4 Answer Problem 5. It also means that the extracellular fluid has a higher concentration of water in the solution than does the cell.

In this situation, water will follow its concentration gradient and enter the cell, causing the cell to expand. Because the cell has a relatively higher concentration of water, water will leave the cell, and the cell will shrink. In an isotonic solution, the extracellular fluid has the same osmolarity as the cell. If the osmolarity of the cell matches that of the extracellular fluid, there will be no net movement of water into or out of the cell, although water will still move in and out.

Blood cells and plant cells in hypertonic, isotonic, and hypotonic solutions take on characteristic appearances. That's actually going to put pressure on the cell. The cell itself might expand, or it could even, if there's enough pressure, it might even explode. Now, let's go to the next scenario.

In this scenario, we have roughly equal concentrations of solute on the outside and on the inside, at least, I tried to draw them that way. In this situation, the probability of a water molecule, in a given period of time, going from the outside to the inside, or from the inside to the outside, is going to be the same, so you're not going to have any net inflow or net outflow.

You're always gonna have water molecules going back and forth, but there's not gonna be any net inflow or outflow. Let's see, let me write no net, no net flow.

In this type of solution, where you have the same concentration of solute in the solution, as you do inside the cell, we would call this an isotonic. This is an isotonic solution. Isotonic solution. The prefix, iso, refers to things that are the same. It has the same concentration of solute, and so you have no net inflow.

Hypotonic solution, you have water molecules going into the cell, the cell expanding, kind of like a filling balloon. Isotonic solution, no net flow.