Question

What will happen to a blood cell that is placed in an aqueous solution that has a high salt concentration relative to the blood cell concentration?

Short answer

If a blood cell is placed in an aqueous solution that has a high salt concentration relative to the blood cell concentration, the blood cell will lose water, shrivel up and possibly die due to osmosis.

Step-by-step solution

Identifying the Scenarios

Identify the concentration of solutes in both the blood cell and the surrounding salt solution. In the exercise, it's stated that the salt solution has a higher concentration of salt than that of the blood cell.

Understanding Osmosis

Understand that in osmosis, water molecules always move from areas of low solute concentration to areas of higher solute concentration until the concentration is equal on both sides of the cell membrane.

Applying Osmosis to the Scenarios

Apply osmosis to the given scenarios. The blood cells are in an aqueous solution with a high salt concentration. This creates a solute concentration gradient. As a result, water molecules will move out of the blood cell and into the salt water through osmosis, because water moves from areas of low solute concentration to areas of high solute concentration.

Conclusion on the Impact

When water moves out of the blood cell, it causes the blood cell to lose water, shrivel up, and possibly die. This state is known as being 'crenated'.

Key concepts

Solute Concentration

When discussing osmosis, solute concentration plays a crucial role. Solutes are substances dissolved in a solvent, forming a solution. In biological systems, common solutes include salts, sugars, and proteins.
A key principle of osmosis is that water moves to areas where solutes are more concentrated.

• Low solute concentration means more water molecules compared to solute particles.
• High solute concentration means fewer water molecules compared to solute particles.

This movement continues until solute concentration is balanced on both sides of the membrane. Understanding solute concentration helps explain the effects seen in cells when placed in different solutions.

Blood Cells

Blood cells are central to understanding osmosis in biological contexts. These cells have a plasma membrane that is selectively permeable, allowing certain substances to pass while blocking others.
Within blood cells, solutes like potassium ions and proteins maintain a specific internal environment crucial for cell function.

• If a blood cell is in a solution with higher solute concentration than inside the cell, water will move out.
• If a soulution surrounding has lower solute concentration, water will enter the cell.

This water movement is vital for cells to maintain their shape and function. Without balance, cells can either shrink or burst.

Hypertonic Solution

A hypertonic solution is one with a higher concentration of solutes compared to another solution. In our exercise, the salt solution is hypertonic relative to the blood cell interior.
When a blood cell enters a hypertonic solution, the water within the cell begins to exit.

• This happens because water moves from lower to higher solute concentration.
• The result is a loss of water, causing the cells to shrivel, a condition known as crenation.

Understanding hypertonic solutions is important for recognizing how they can impact cells. The osmotic pressure created by these solutions is a vital factor in many biological and medical scenarios.