Question

Which of these solutions is hypotonic to plant cells?

1) 0.1
2) 0.5
3) 1.5
4) 2.0

Answer 1

Solutions 0.1, 0.5, and 1.5 are all hypotonic to plant cells as they have lower solute concentrations than typical isotonic solutions for cells, leading to water entering the cells.

Step-by-step explanation:

To determine which of the solutions is hypotonic to plant cells, we need to know the typical osmolarity of the plant cells' cytoplasm. Hypotonic solutions have a lower concentration of solutes compared to the cytoplasm of the cell, causing water to enter the cell. Without specific values of osmolarity for the plant cells, we can refer to typical isotonic solutions for cells which are generally around 0.9% m/v NaCl or 5% m/v glucose in water. Any solution with a lower concentration than this isotonic solution would be considered hypotonic. Therefore, based on the relative comparisons, solutions 0.1, 0.5, and even 1.5 are all hypotonic to plant cells as they likely have a lower solute concentration than the cell's cytoplasm, while 2.0 might be closer to an isotonic or hypertonic solution depending on the specific solute concentration in the cells.