Should a plant cell be living to undergo plasmolysis? What will happen to grapes if it is put in a hypertonic solution?
Answers
Hello friends
I am here to help you
Plasmolysis is the process in which cells lose water in a hypertonic solution. The reverse process, deplasmolysis or cytolysis, can occur if the cell is in a hypotonic solution resulting in a lower external osmotic pressure and a net flow of water into the cell. Through observation of plasmolysis and deplasmolysis, it is possible to determine the tonicity of the cell's environment as well as the rate solute molecules cross the cellular membrane.
When a grape is placed in a solution of concentrated sugar solution, it will show the process of exosmosis and lose water. When a cell is kept in hypertonic solution, it readily crosses the cell wall and fills the space between the cell wall and cell membrane. This hypertonic solution in direct contact with the cell membrane causes plasmolysis and extracts water from the cytoplasm of the cell.
hello friends
I am here to help you
When a plant cell is placed in a hypertonic solution, the water inside the cells is drawn out by osmosis. The vacuoles decrease in size. The cytoplasm also shrinks away from the cellulose cell wall and plasmolysis occurs. This causes a lack of structure for the plant and causes it to wilt, or become flaccid.
This question is testing the concept of hypertonic and isotonic solution.
A hypertonic solution has more solute molecules and hence a high osmotic pressure.
An hypotonic solution has more solvent molecules hence low osmotic pressure.
OBSERVATIONS AND EXPLANATION ON THE TWO EXPERIMENTS
1.) The grapes shrink in other words they become flaccid.
This is because the concentrated sugar solution is hypertonic to the grape cells hence draws water from the cells by osmosis causing the cytoplasm of the grape cells to shrink.
2.) We will not observe any change on the leaves.
When the leaves are boiled, the cells of the leaves die. Osmosis thus cannot take place in dead cells.