Answer to Question #90592 in Cell Biology for Anuj Kumar

Question

What has happened to the cell placed in hypertonic & hypertonic solution?

Answer 1

Hypertonic solution: The cell has shrunk; since the solution contains less water molecules and more dissolved solutes compared to the cell cytoplasm, water molecules move from the cell to the solution through osmosis until there a balance of dissolved solutes and water between the cell and solution.

Hypotonic solution: The cell swells; since the solution is contains more water molecules and less dissolved solutes compared to the cell cytoplasm, water molecules move from the solution to the cell and may cause the cell to bust if the difference in concentration is too much.