AP BIOLOGY

LABORATORY REVIEW

DIFFUSION AND OSMOSIS

Question [CLICK ON ANY CHOICE TO KNOW THE RIGHT ANSWER]
A person would never have a hypotonic solution put into their veins in a hospital because their cells would ____
A
Shrink/Dehydrate
B
Swell and burst
Explanation: 

Detailed explanation-1: -In hypotonic solutions, there is a net movement of water from the solution into the body. A cell placed into a hypotonic solution will swell and expand until it eventually burst through a process known as cytolysis.

Detailed explanation-2: -A blood cell placed in hypotonic solution would gain water as water will enter cell from surrounding hypotonic medium by the process of osmosis causing the cell to swell up. If the cell was placed in hypertonic solution, water would have moved out of the cell causing it to shrink.

Detailed explanation-3: -A red blood cell will swell and undergo hemolysis (burst) when placed in a hypotonic solution.

Detailed explanation-4: -Hypotonic solutions are used when the cell is dehydrated and fluids need to be put back intracellularly. This happens when patients develop diabetic ketoacidosis (DKA) or hyperosmolar hyperglycemia.

There is 1 question to complete.