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Remember that tonicity describes a solution on whether cells stay the same or sw

ID: 3473884 • Letter: R

Question

Remember that tonicity describes a solution on whether cells stay the same or swell when placed in that solution. Red blood cell members are permeable to water. Thus if red blood cells are placed into solutions that are not isotonic, then water cross the members. For each of the solutions below, determine if the solution is , hypotonic. To do this exercise, you need to know that Na^+ and Cl^- cannot permeate the red blood cell members, urea freely permits the of the red blood cell membrane, and glucose transported across the red blood cell membrane blood cell intracellular fluids is at 300

Explanation / Answer

Distilled water - Hypotonic

0.45% saline - 154 mOsm/L - Hypotonic

0.9% saline - 308 mOsm/L - Isotonic

2% Urea - Hypotonic

5% Dextrose - Hypotonic

Isotonic A solution containing 300mOsm/L of non-penetrating solutes, regardless of the concentraton of membrane-penetrating solutes that may be present No change in cell volume Hypertonic A solution containing greater than 300mOsm/L of non-penetrating solutes, regardless of the concentraton of membrane-penetrating solutes that may be present Cell shrinks Hypotonic A solution containing less than 300mOsm/L of non-penetrating solutes, regardless of the concentraton of membrane-penetrating solutes that may be present Cell swells