The total effective concentration of dissolved particles inside human red blood cells is approximate — Solutions and Colligative Properties Chemistry Question
Question
The total effective concentration of dissolved particles inside human red blood cells is approximately $0.30\text{ M}$. The surrounding cellular membrane acts as a perfect semipermeable barrier. Based on the physical principles of osmosis, what would happen theoretically if these cells were placed entirely into a hypertonic $0.50\text{ M } NaCl$ solution?
💡 Solution & Explanation
Osmosis is the flow of solvent from a region of lower solute concentration (hypotonic) to a region of higher solute concentration (hypertonic) across an SPM. The inside of the cell is $0.30\text{ M}$, while the outside is effectively $1.0\text{ M}$ (since $0.50\text{ M } NaCl \rightarrow 0.5\text{ M } Na^+ + 0.5\text{ M } Cl^-$). Because the outside is severely hypertonic, water will leave the cells, leading to severe shrinkage (plasmolysis/crenation).