If a red blood cell is placed in distilled water, which would have a higher concentration of water molecules, the distilled water or the red blood cell? where would water potential be less? is distilled water a hypotonic or hypertonic solution?

Question

Biology

Alison English

11 April, 06:31

If a red blood cell is placed in distilled water, which would have a higher concentration of water molecules, the distilled water or the red blood cell? where would water potential be less? is distilled water a hypotonic or hypertonic solution?

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Answers (1)

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Elijah Davies · Answer 1

1. The distilled water has a higher concentration of water molecules.

Distilled water only contained water molecules, nothing else is dissolved in it. It has the highest water concentration no matter what substances.

2. The red blood cells has less water potential.

Water potential is the tendency of the water molecules to move from one region to another. Due to the rule of osmosis, water molecule is more likely to move from the distill water to the cell, from a region of higher water concentration to a region of lower water concentration.

Therefore, red blood cell has less water potential.

3. Distilled water is a hypotonic solution.

When the solution causes the water to flow away to other regions, they're said to be hypotonic. There water potential is higher than the other side. Therefore, the answer is distilled water.