Tonicity

Front

What is tonicity?

Back

Tonicity refers to the ability of a surrounding solution to affect the volume of a cell by osmosis, based on the concentration of solutes in the solution compared to the concentration of solutes inside the cell.

Front

Define hypertonic solution.

Back

A hypertonic solution has a higher concentration of solutes compared to the inside of the cell, causing water to move out of the cell, leading to cell shrinkage.

Front

Define hypotonic solution.

Back

A hypotonic solution has a lower concentration of solutes compared to the inside of the cell, causing water to move into the cell, leading to cell swelling or bursting.

Front

Define isotonic solution.

Back

An isotonic solution has the same concentration of solutes as the inside of the cell, resulting in no net movement of water into or out of the cell.

Front

What happens to a cell in a hypertonic solution?

Back

The cell shrivels as water moves out of it to balance the solute concentration.

Front

What happens to a cell in a hypotonic solution?

Back

The cell swells and may burst as water moves into it to balance the solute concentration.

Front

What happens to a cell in an isotonic solution?

Back

The cell remains the same size as there is no net movement of water.

Front

Example of a hypertonic solution.

Back

Saltwater is an example of a hypertonic solution when compared to the cytoplasm of a cell.

Front

Example of a hypotonic solution.

Back

Pure water is an example of a hypotonic solution when compared to the cytoplasm of a cell.

Front

Example of an isotonic solution.

Back

0.9% saline solution is an example of an isotonic solution for human cells.