Final answer:
Red blood cells in a hypotonic solution will swell and potentially rupture due to osmosis, whereas isotonic solutions maintain normal cell shape and hypertonic solutions can cause cells to shrink and die.
Step-by-step explanation:
Red blood cells placed in a hypotonic solution will gain water through osmosis and lyse, a process known as hemolysis. A hypotonic solution has a lower solute concentration than the inside of the red blood cells, causing water to move into the cells to equalize the solute concentration across the membrane. This can lead to the cells swelling and rupturing, which is not desirable, hence why intravenous solutions must be isotonic with blood serum to prevent deleterious effects. An isotonic solution, on the other hand, has the same concentration of solutes as red blood cells, resulting in no net movement of water and maintaining cell integrity. In contrast, a hypertonic solution has a higher solute concentration than the inside of the cells, causing water to flow out of the cells, leading to cell shrinkage and potentially death.