Biology Forum › Cell Biology › Hypotonic, Isotonic and Hypertonic solutions
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- November 24, 2005 at 11:23 am #2648
cool A-level studentParticipantwhat happens when i put an animal cell or a plant cell in these solutions?
i already know from another topic that animal cells expand in hypotonic solutions which is why ur fingers wrinkle up when u hve a bath or somethin, what about plant cells and the other solutions?
cheers for any answers 😀
- November 24, 2005 at 11:49 am #33415cool A-level studentParticipant
ive found out that hypotonic solutions transfer water through osmosis to the cell, hypertonic do the opposite and take water from the cell and so mit shrivels, isotonic are “in between” they take as much out as they put in, this i beleive is all due to osmosis as the differences in concentrations mean that water either enters or leaves the cells:
hypotonic=has alot of water and will transfer it into cell where the concentration has lesser than the solutions
isotonic=has equal water to the cell, both cell and solution hve around the same water concentration all the time.
hypertonic=like a water+salt solution, the salt attracts some water particles and lessens the concentration, due to the lower concentration in the solution water moves from the cell to the solution and so shrivels as there is less water inside the cell.
im pretty sure i got this right but if ive made a mistake or u’ve got something to add please do as i cud use the input 🙂
- November 24, 2005 at 12:27 pm #33419NavinParticipant
Well ya, you got it right.
- November 24, 2005 at 12:46 pm #33420mkw743Participant
when a cell is put in a hypertonic solution, there is net water movement going out of the cell. this casues the cell content to shrink. when excess water is lost, the cell membrane of the plant cell will separate from the cell wall. this is known as plasmolyis
however the cell membrane will not separate completely from the cell wall becaue of the presence of plasmodesmata connecting the adjacent cells.
when a plant cell is put in a isotonic solution, there is no net water movemnent.
when a plant cell is put in a hypotonic solution, there is net water movement going into the cell. this cause the cell to swell. however the cell would not burst due to the presence of the rigid cell wall. at the same time, pressure potential is built against the incoming water and teh water potential of the cell will become the same as the surrounding solution and osmosis stops.
i hope this can help you a little bit. if i have made any mistakes, pls correct it - November 24, 2005 at 1:55 pm #33423cool A-level studentParticipant
cheers guys
- November 24, 2005 at 8:47 pm #33467deenteenParticipant
hypo-less than
hyper-more than
iso-same asthese compare the concentration of solution/osmotic pressure outside the cell to the inside. ex-if you put cell in hypotonic, it means that the osmotic pressure outside is less than the indide, meaning that the cell will swell, and if this is not controlled than cell will burst. iso, the cell stays the same. hyper, the cell shrinks because the opposite happens. - November 25, 2005 at 8:49 pm #33527mikkiParticipant
My lab instructor wrote this on an overhead one day to help us remember what hypertonic meant. It’s very effective. Lol
HYPERTONIC SUCKS
- November 26, 2005 at 7:23 pm #33609deenteenParticipant
datz funny! 😀
- March 7, 2006 at 3:17 am #42627JoloParticipant
Hey I just whanted to know
If our cells and body fluids are hypertonic to teh water of a swimming pool, then why do we not swell and pop when we go for a swim?
- March 7, 2006 at 4:46 am #42633canalonParticipant
Hint: skin, kidneys… Plus we do swell a little bit (look at your fingers).
- March 7, 2006 at 6:33 pm #42698MrMisteryParticipant
because your hipodermus is impermeable to water, and skin cells also have keratin to prevent it..
- October 27, 2009 at 3:00 am #94110WFerraraParticipant
wait Jolo,
hypertonic means that the cells shrink. If our body fluids are hypertonic to water wouldn’t that mean that our "body" shrinks?your saying that our bodies are hypotonic- which means that out cells would swell up. So which do you mean:
hypertonic or hypotonic?
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