Question

A red blood cell placed in pure water would ________?

1) shrink
2) swell initially, then shrink as equilibrium is reached
3) neither shrink nor swell
4) swell and burst

Answer 1

A red blood cell placed in pure water will swell and burst due to the hypotonic nature of the surrounding environment that causes water to rush into the cell, leading to hemolysis.

Step-by-step explanation:

If a red blood cell is placed in pure water, it will swell and burst. This phenomenon occurs because the environment of pure water is a hypotonic solution relative to the concentration of solutes within the red blood cell. Due to osmosis, water rushes into the cell, causing it to swell. The cell membrane of a red blood cell, which is composed of lipids and proteins, has a fixed surface area. When the cell swells beyond the membrane's capability to expand, the cell will undergo hemolysis and lyse, resulting in the cell bursting.