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If the concentration on the inside of a cell is 5% and the concentration on the outside of a cell is 6%, what is true ?O A. The solution is hypotonicO B. none are correct• C. The solution is isotonicO D. The cell will under go hemolysisO E. The solution is hypertonic

User Piepera
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1 Answer

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If two solutions have the same solute concentration, they are considered isotonic.

If one solution has a higher concentration of solutes with respect to another one, then this solution can be considered hypertonic.

If one solution has a lower concentration of solutes with respect to another solution, then this solution can be considered hypotonic.

The tonicity of the solutions measures the effective osmotic pressure gradient and is relative to the concentration of solutes that do not move freely through the semipermeable membrane. If you consider two solutions separated by a biological membrane, like the cell membrane, the net movement of water between both compartments will be determined by the osmotic pressure, it will diffuse from the compartment with lower tonicity to the compartment with higher tonicity.

In this case, the concentration inside the cell is 5% and the concentration outside the cell is 6%, then the solution found within the cell can be considered hypotonic with respect to the extracellular solution.

Due to the osmotic pressure, the water will diffuse out of the cell. This process will cause the cytoplasm volume to decrease, and the cell will suffer a process called Crenation.

The correct option is E. since the intracellular solution is hypotonic with respect to the extracellular solution.

User Chris Fregly
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