Osmosis

What is osmosis?

The net movement of water from an area of high water potential to low water potential across a semi permeable membrane.

What does hypertonic mean?

a solution with a high concentration of solutes then another (water will leave cell )

What happens to an animal cell if the item is hypotonic to it?

• cell shrinks - crenation

What happens to a plant cell if the item is hypertonic?

• cytoplasm and vacuole will shrink - membrane pulls away from the wall - called plasmolysis 

What does hypotonic mean?

solution with lower concentration of solutes then another ( water will enter cells)

What happens to an animal cell if the item is hypertonic?

• cells swell and may burst - haemolysis 

What happens to a plant cell if the item is hypotonic?

cytoplasm and vacuole swell - push against the cell wall cell becomes turgid

what does isotonic mean?

solution with same concentration of solutes than another (same)

What happens to an animal cell if the item is isotonic?

optimum medium - water potential is equal to external medium

What happens to an plant cell if the item is isotonic?

cell becomes flaccid - point of incipient plasmolysis (beginning of plasmolysis) 

what is water potential?

measure of the free energy of water molecules in a system

what is distilled / pure water highest water potential?

0 - contains no dissolved solutes

what happens to the water potential if more solutes is added? 

lowers water potential