Question

Dr. Oops has done it again. His friend told him that to keep celery fresh, it should be placed in some tap water. Dr. Oops puts one stalk of celery in tap water. He places another stalk in his glass of clear, sugary soda by accident. What will happen to each stalk of celery?

Answer 1

Celery in tap water will become crisp due to osmosis, while celery in sugary soda will become limp as water moves out of the cells.

Step-by-step explanation:

Osmosis is the key mechanism at play here, which is a biological process where water moves across a semipermeable membrane from a region of lower solute concentration to a region of higher solute concentration. In the scenario with Dr. Oops, the stalk of celery placed in tap water will likely become crisp because water will move into the celery cells by osmosis. On the other hand, the celery stalk placed in sugary soda, which is a hypertonic solution compared to the inside of the celery cells, will likely become limp as water will move out of the celery cells and into the soda.