Assume that a cell has: a. An initial volume of 7nl b. Contains 0.5M protein, an

Question

Assume that a cell has:

a. An initial volume of 7nl

b. Contains 0.5M protein, and therefore has an osmolarity of 0.5Osm

c. Protein, Na+ and Cl- cannot pass through the cell membrane

d. The Cell membrane is semi-permeable, so assume water passes freely

e. The cell is placed in a very large volume of 0.2M NaCl

1. What is the osmolarity of the NaCl?

2. Is the inside of the cell hypertonic, hypotonic, or isotonic, relative to the outside of the cell ?

3. Will water move into, not change or out of the cell?

4. After this occurs, what will the osmolarity inside the cell be?

5. For the inside of the cell: If C1 is the starting osmolarity, V1 is the starting volume, and C2 is the ending osmolarity, V2 is the ending volume. Use the equation C1xV1= C2xV2 to solve for V2, the final volume of the cell after being placed in the 0.2M NaCl.

Explanation / Answer

Since the concentration of the cell is greater than the concentration of NaCl, it is hypertonic.

osmolarity of NaCl = 0.2*2 = 0.4 M

Thus, the water will move into the protein cell.

The osmolarity inside the cell will be 0.4 after the water moves to the protein cell

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