Hypo, iso, hyper tonic solutions

• Tonicity solutions

  • Hypotonic
  • Isotonic
  • Hypertonic
• In a hypotonic solution


  Water rushes into the cell causing it to expand or even burst
• In an isotonic solution


  There is no net flow of water, keeping the cell stable
• In a hypertonic solution

  Water leaves the cell, causing it to shrivel
• Reactions of cells in different solutions

  Due to the semipermeable nature of cell membranes and the concentration of solutes
• Tonicity is relative to the external environment
• To make your body hypo-tonic, you need to drink water, but the kidneys will return the volume and tonicity to the defined state
• In relation to blood cells, tonicity does not have any prominent effect on them
• Semi-permeable membranes allow particles to pass through according to size, solute type, etc (any chemical or physical property)
• Selectively permeable membranes are basically the same as semi-permeable membranes, but they have much more specific restrictions
• For example, a semi-permeable membrane might allow a specific type of molecule, but a selectively permeable membrane would allow only a specific molecular geometry of that molecule to pass through it
• Hypotonic, Isotonic, and Hypertonic Solutions occur naturally and are not caused by a disease
• The reactions of cells to water leaving or coming in, or staying the same in different solutions are due to the tonicity of the solutions
• How do Hypotonic, Isotonic, and Hypertonic Solutions occur?
• If a firm increases advertising then their demand curve shifts right. This increases the equilibrium price and quantity.
• The terms hypotonic, isotonic, and hypertonic are all related to the tonicity of a solution. Tonicity refers to the relative concentrations of solutes between a cell and its surrounding solution.
• Hypoosmotic and hypotonic


  Refer to solutions that have a lower solute concentration than the cell. Water will move into the cell by osmosis, causing the cell to swell.
• Isoosmotic and isotonic


  Refer to solutions that have the same solute concentration as the cell. There will be no net movement of water into or out of the cell.
• Hyperosmotic and hypertonic


  Refer to solutions that have a higher solute concentration than the cell. Water will move out of the cell by osmosis, causing the cell to shrink.
• Water is the solvent, because there is more of it. The yellow particles are the solute, because it is dissolved in the water. A solute is dissolved in a solvent.
• Example of using hypotonic, hypertonic, or isotonic solutions
• Simple example of hypotonic, hypertonic, and isotonic solutions


  • Raisins in water will bloat or become turgid (hypotonic solution)
  • Raisins in salt solution will shrink (hypertonic solution)
• Cell in a hypertonic solution

  Water will leave the cell, causing it to shrink
• Cell in an isotonic solution


  No change in the size of the cell
• Cell in a hypotonic solution

  Water will enter the cell, causing it to swell
• Hyper


  Over, or more than average
• Hypo


  Below average
• Iso


  Equal
• Osmosis is the movement of a solvent, usually water, through a semipermeable membrane from a low concentration of solution to a high concentration solution
• The movement of the solvent in osmosis equalizes or balances the solute concentration on both sides of the membrane
• Water movement through a membrane in different solutions

  Explanation of water movement in hypotonic, isotonic, and hypertonic solutions
• Hypotonic solution


  A solution with a lower concentration of solute than inside the cell, causing a net inflow of water molecules
• Isotonic solution


  A solution with the same concentration of solute as inside the cell, resulting in no net inflow or outflow of water molecules
• Hypertonic solution


  A solution with a higher concentration of solute than inside the cell, leading to a net outflow of water molecules
• In a hypotonic solution


  Water molecules move from the outside to the inside, causing the cell to expand or potentially explode
• In an isotonic solution


  No net flow of water molecules occurs as the concentrations of solute inside and outside the cell are equal
• In a hypertonic solution

  Water molecules move from the inside to the outside, causing the cell to shrink or shrivel up
• Effects of placing a red blood cell into different solutions

  1. Hypotonic solution: Water rushes in, cell expands and looks overinflated

  2. Isotonic solution: Cell looks normal with a divot in the middle

  3. Hypertonic solution: Water escapes, cell shrivels up due to net outflow of water molecules