Q.
A red blood cell was kept in a solution for a few minutes, where it got burst. The solution taken was
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AIPMTAIPMT 1994Excretory Products and their Elimination
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Solution:
A cell gains water if it is kept in hypotonic solution or pure water. The phenomenon is called endosmosis. If the red blood cells are placed in a hypotonic solution, one in which the concentration of solutes is less and concentration of water is greater than inside the cells, they will take up water by endosmosis to equalize the water concentration, swell up and may burst. The swelling cells protoplast exerts pressure on the surrounding cell membrane or wall if present. It is called hydrostatic pressure or turgor pressure. Animal cells do not have a wall, therefore high turgor pressure causes their bursting.