Question

You are wanting to modify plant cells. With the procedure you are using, the plant cells must be in a plasmolyzed state. This means that the plant cells must be placed in a(n) :

1) acid solution.
2) hypotonic solution.
3) isotonic solution.
4) basic solution.
5) hypertonic solution.

Answer 1

Plant cells must be placed in a hypertonic solution to achieve a plasmolyzed state, which leads to plasmolysis, the process where the cell membrane shrinks away from the cell wall due to water loss.

Step-by-step explanation:

To induce a plasmolyzed state in plant cells, they must be placed in a hypertonic solution. In a hypertonic environment, the concentration of dissolved substances is higher outside the cell compared to the inside, resulting in water leaving the cell. This water loss causes the cell membrane to detach from the rigid plant cell wall, leading to the shrinkage of the cytoplasm, a process known as plasmolysis. Plant cells become flaccid if they lose too much water, and they lose the turgor pressure necessary to keep the plant upright, which can lead to wilting.

Conversely, when plant cells are placed in a hypotonic solution, water enters the cells, creating turgor pressure which supports plant structure, making them turgid. Plant cells are naturally designed to thrive best in a hypotonic environment due to this mechanism. An isotonic solution maintains equilibrium where water movements into and out of the cell are balanced, leading to no net change in the cell's fluid volume.