What will happen if we place a red blood cell in pure water?
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Water will move to where the concentration of solute, (something dissolved in a solvent like water), like electrolytes, or ions, is greater. Water can pass through the membrane both ways, however the ions remain trapped within the cell membrane, being semipermeable. The sudden influx of water causes the cell to burst.
As a corollary, when a plant lacks water, the cells of the roots and plant material will wilt. Adding water to to the plant, or watering it, will cause water molecules to pass into the cells of the roots and plant, where the solute concentration is greater. Because plant cells have rigid cell walls, the plant cells do not burst, but fill with water to an equilibrium state where there is turgor pressure, and the plant stands up again, in its more normal state.
The converse of this is the state of overfertilizing or adding salt solution to plants. The water leaves in the opposite direction, toward greater solute concentration, and the cell membranes shrivel up within the cell walls surrounding them, a state called crenation.
Similarly if non-plant cells like RBCS are subjected to high salt solution (greater than 0.9% NaCl (aq) which is the concentration of IV fluids), or bacterial cells or other single celled organisms like protists, those cells or organisms will lose water and shrivel, and die.
As a corollary, when a plant lacks water, the cells of the roots and plant material will wilt. Adding water to to the plant, or watering it, will cause water molecules to pass into the cells of the roots and plant, where the solute concentration is greater. Because plant cells have rigid cell walls, the plant cells do not burst, but fill with water to an equilibrium state where there is turgor pressure, and the plant stands up again, in its more normal state.
The converse of this is the state of overfertilizing or adding salt solution to plants. The water leaves in the opposite direction, toward greater solute concentration, and the cell membranes shrivel up within the cell walls surrounding them, a state called crenation.
Similarly if non-plant cells like RBCS are subjected to high salt solution (greater than 0.9% NaCl (aq) which is the concentration of IV fluids), or bacterial cells or other single celled organisms like protists, those cells or organisms will lose water and shrivel, and die.
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RBC will swell due to endosmosis
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