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Based on these results, which statement correctly predicts what will happen to red blood cells when they are placed in a beaker containing a saltwater solution that has a salt concentration much higher than that of the red blood cells?
A.
The red blood cells will first lose water, then absorb water.
B.
The red blood cells will first absorb water, then lose water.
C.
The red blood cells will lose water and decrease in size.
D.
The red blood cells will absorb water and increase in size.
1 answer
When red blood cells are placed in a saltwater solution that has a salt concentration much higher than that of the red blood cells, the solution is hypertonic relative to the cells. In this situation, water moves out of the red blood cells through the process of osmosis in order to balance the concentration of solutes (in this case, salt) on both sides of the cell membrane.
As a result, the correct prediction will be:
C. The red blood cells will lose water and decrease in size.
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1 answer
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1 answer