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A higher concentration of solutes corresponds to a ________ (higher/lower) concentration of water in a given solution.

a) Higher
b) Lower

User Criticman
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Final answer:

A higher concentration of solutes means a lower concentration of water in the solution. This is relevant when discussing the osmolality and tonicity of solutions, indicating that a solution with higher osmolality has a higher solute concentration.

Step-by-step explanation:

A higher concentration of solutes corresponds to a lower concentration of water in a given solution. When we say that a solution has a high concentration of solutes, it means that there is less water per unit volume, because the space is taken up by the solute particles. This concept is important in understanding osmolality, osmosis, and the tonicity of solutions, such as hypertonic, isotonic, and hypotonic solutions.

For example, if solution B has a much higher osmolality than solution A, it implies that solution B likely is the more concentrated solution with more solute particles per kilogram of solvent, since osmolality measures the moles of solute per kilogram of solvent.

User Masoud Bimar
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