The thickness of solutes in a hypotonic solution is lower than in another solution. If a solution outside of a cell has a lower thickness of solutes than the cytosol, we call it HS in biology. Water diffuses into the cell as a result of osmotic pressure, causing the cell to appear turgid or bloated. If the gradient is strong enough, the intake of extra water by cells without a cell wall, such as animal cells, can produce enough pressure to cause cytolysis, or cell rupturing. The central vacuole of plant cells in an HS absorbs excess water and pushes the cell membrane against the cell wall. The cell wall pushes back due to its stiffness, preventing the cell from bursting. We call it turgor pressure. Continue reading to know more about Hypotonic definition.
Hypotonic Solution Meaning
A HS is a solution that has a lower solute thickness than another solution. A solution cannot be HS, IS, or hypertonic without a solution to compare it to. HS describes the solute content of one solution in comparison to another. It’s a tool we use in biology to help describe cells. Different solutions’ osmolarity (thickness of a solution in terms of the number of solutes per litre) can aid scientists in determining which way the water and solute gradients will form. Continue reading to know more about Hypotonic definition.
Hypotonic Definition Biology
We need tonicity to keep life processes running smoothly. Protists without a cytoskeleton or a cell wall, such as paramecia and amoebae, are able to maintain rigid structure thanks to tonicity regulation. Because these protists live in the HS environment, there is a constant influx of water. These protists have a specialised organ known as contractile vacuoles that collect an excess of water from the cell and subsequently discharge it out to keep the cell structure and prevent cell lysis.
The formation of T pressure in plant cells occurs in an HS environment due to the continual influx of water. Plants use T pressure to impart structure and stiffness to their structures. Continue reading to know more about Hypotonic definition.
To keep HS conditions in their cells, fungi (like mushrooms) and plants adjust their climate. The influx of water caused by the HS climate will result in the creation of turgor pressure. As a result, cells remain upright, maintaining the rigidity of their structure.
Plants also use this pressure to carry water throughout their plant body, from the roots to the top stem. When we don’t water plants for an extended period of time, a hypertonic climate forms around them, and their T pressure decreases, giving them a wilted appearance.
Hypotonic definition examples
When compared to the intracellular solute thickness, an HS has a lower solute thickness. There will be a net migration of free water into a red blood cell when we place it in an HS. As a result of this condition, the intracellular volume will grow while the intracellular solute thickness will decrease. The overall solute thickness of the solution will increase. The cell may appear engorged under the microscope, and the cell membrane may eventually burst. The term for this entire process is cytolysis.
Because osmosis is a dynamic equilibrium, water molecules can flow in any direction across the semipermeable membrane at any one time, but the total net movement of all water molecules will be from a high free water thickness to a low free water thickness. Continue reading to know more about Hypotonic definition.
Hypotonic solution vs HYS
Due to the passage of water into the cell, a cell placed in an HS will swell. If we place a cell in a HYS, the cell will shrink due to osmosis and the passage of water outside the cell. The following table summarises the differences between an HS and a HYS:
| Hypotonic solution | HYS |
| The soluble thickness of the solution outside the cell is higher than that of the solution inside the cell. As a result, water molecules travel from within to outside the cell. | The solution outside the cell is less concentrated than the solution inside. As a result, water molecules enter the cell from the outside. |
| A solution whose thickness is less than the cell sap or inside of a cell. | A solution whose thickness is more than the cell sap or that inside a cell. |
| A plant cell becomes turgid when putting in a HS. | A plant cell undergoes plasmolysis in a HYS. |
Hypotonic Solution in Chemistry
Hypotonic solution: A solution with fewer dissolved particles (salt and other electrolytes) than normal cells and blood. We often use HS to treat or prevent dehydration in hospitalized patients by administering fluids intravenously. Continue reading to know more about Hypotonic definition.
Hypotonic Solution Definition
What is the definition of a hypotonic solution? A HS is a solution that has a lower solute thickness than the cell. A solution is a mixture that contains a solute and a solvent. The solute is the material that is present in a smaller quantity, whereas the solvent is the substance that is present in a larger quantity. Salt water is an example of HS. The solute is the salt, while the solvent is the water. Continue reading to know more about Hypotonic definition.
Hypotonic Solution Example
Anything that has more water and less solute than the cells is an example of an HS:
In medicine, distilled water 0.45 percent saline 0.25 percent saline IS, where the solute thickness in the cell and the solution is equal, is commonly employed. Some situations, however, necessitate the use of an HS. The patient can become critically dehydrated during diabetic ketoacidosis, so we inject a 0.45 percent saline solution intravenously to rehydrate the intercellular space. Continue reading to know more about Hypotonic definition.
Plant Environments
Nature designed plants to sustain an HS in the soil and surrounding environment. Water moves from the damp soil into the plant cells through the roots when you water a garden. Because of their thick cell walls, plant cells become turgid (swollen) yet do not explode. This permits plants to go without water for long periods of time while still maintaining an excellent structure for photosynthesis.
Fungal Environments
Fungi-inhabiting environments are likewise classified as HS. Fungus cells, like plant cells, have thick walls that prevent them from bursting when they take in water. For example, if you put a mushroom in a cup of water, it will absorb the water and become mushy and bloated. That’s how it works in the soil, too: fungus cells absorb water from the soil, ensuring that the environment is HS at all times. Continue reading to know more about Hypotonic definition.
Extracellular Fluid in a Hydrated Body
When you drink a large amount of water, it has to go somewhere. That’s exactly what it does – it gets into your cells! If the extracellular (outside the cell) fluid contains more solutes than the cells, humans, like all animals, get dehydrated. Cells absorb water from extracellular fluid, causing them to become saturated. Because human and animal cells lack the structure of plant cell wells, they can explode if we expose them to too much water. That’s why, in a well-hydrated organism, the extracellular fluid contains somewhat more water than the cells themselves.
IV Drips and Injections
Doctors and nurses use Intravenous (IV) drips and injections to rehydrate their patients. Take a look at some typical HSs that help cells refill their water supply. Continue reading to know more about Hypotonic definition.
Half-Normal Saline
A HS that we use in IV drips is half-normal saline, consists 0.45 percent sodium chloride (NaCl) dissolved in sterile water. Because its composition is similar to plasma in the body, it has half the salinity of regular saline (0.9 percent NaCl), which we utilize as a maintenance fluid. Dehydrated Patients, malnourished, burnt, or suffering from diabetic ketoacidosis benefit from it. Dehydrated cells receive the necessary fluid from half-normal saline.
Quarter-Normal Saline
0.22 percent sodium chloride and 5% dextrose make up quarter-normal saline. It contains half the sodium chloride of half-normal saline, making it the most HS saline on the market. In neonatal intensive care units and paediatric situations, people use quarter-normal saline. Continue reading to know more about Hypotonic definition.
5% Dextrose in Water (D5W)
Medical practitioners can also use D5W or D5, which is 5% dextrose in water. In renal patients, the HS dilutes extracellular fluid and provides free water to the kidneys. Once the cells of the body absorb sugar (dextrose), the extracellular fluid can retain the leftover water to maintain balance. Continue reading to know more about Hypotonic definition.
Hypotonic Solution in Plant Cell
We need HS for plant cells to take up water and maintain their internal pressure in the vacuole. We call it T pressure. Water rushes into the cell and fills the vacuole when we place plant cells in an HS, like distilled water. The cell expands but does not burst because of the cell wall, which keeps the cell intact. This is also why grocers use distilled water to spray produce. The water seeps into the plant cells, giving the vegetables a fresh, crisp appearance.
Hypotonic Solution in Animal Cell
As water travels from the environment into the cell, animal cells in an HS will inflate. Animal cells, unlike plant cells, do not have a cell wall. When we place animal cells in an HS, they have the potential to rupture. As a result, animals must go through osmoregulation, in which they regulate the amount of salt and water in their bodies despite their surroundings. Humans do this through the kidneys, which filter the blood and maintain a salt and water content that permits our cells to maintain homeostasis. The table below compares the responses of plant and animal cells to an HS.
Hypotonic Definition Anatomy and Physiology
In biology, the term “hypotonic” can refer to a variety of phenomena. Its several definitions apply to human biology as well as biochemistry.
When it comes to people or animals, HS refers to a muscle that has less tone or shape than a standard comparative model or another muscle in the same human body.
We took this approach to a molecular level in the biological fields. In these contexts, HS denotes a solution with lower osmotic pressure or thickness than another solution passing through a semipermeable membrane. In simpler terms, HS might refer to a solution that has fewer solutes than other solutions containing the same solutes.
Hypotonic Definition Osmosis
Assume you have a cup with 100mL of water in it, and you add 15g of table sugar to it. The sugar dissolves, and the mixture in the cup now consists of a solute (sugar) that has been dissolved in a solvent (the water). A solution is a mixture of a solute and a solvent.
Assume you have a second cup with 100mL of water in it, and you’ve added 45g of table sugar to it. The sugar is the solute, and the water is the solvent, just like in the first cup. However, you now have two mixtures with varying solute thickness. To the second sugar solution, the first sugar solution is HS. To the first sugar solution, the second sugar solution is hypertonic.
Combine solutions
You now combine the two solutions in a beaker split by a semipermeable membrane with pores too small for sugar molecules to pass through but large enough for water molecules to flow through. On one side of the membrane is the HYS, and on the other is the HS. Because the HYS has a lower water thickness than the HS, there is now a water thickness gradient across the membrane. Until both solutions are IS, water molecules will flow from the side of higher water thickness to the side of lower thickness. We reach equilibrium at this point.
The same is true for red blood cells (see figure below). Water flows out of red blood cells quicker than it enters when they are in a hypertonic (higher thickness) solution. Crenation (shrivelling) of the blood cell occurs as a result of this. A red blood cell that is HS (lower thickness outside the cell) on the other hand, will have more water flowing into it than out. This causes cell enlargement and the possibility of hemolysis (cell rupture). The flow of water into and out of the cell occurs at the same rate in an IS solution.
Hypotonic Solution and HYS
The movement of water molecules across a semipermeable membrane from a lower thickness solution to a higher thickness solution is what we call osmosis. Osmosis is the process through which water passes into and out of cells.
When a cell is in a HYS, the solution has less water than the cytoplasm of the cell, and water travels out of the cell until both solutions are IS.
Water will pass through the membranes of cells in an HS until both the exterior solution and the cytosol are IS.
When we place a red blood cell in an HS, it swells and undergoes hemolysis (burst). A red blood cell will lose water and undergo crenation when placed in a HYS (shrivel). Animal cells thrive in an IS environment, in which the flow of water into and out of the cell occurs at the same pace.
Hypotonic Solution Diagram
HYS: A solution is hypertonic to a cell if it contains a higher thickness of solute (dissolved material) than the cell. As a result, its water content is lower than that of the cell. Cell membranes and plant cell walls are semi permeable barriers, which means that certain molecules can pass through them but not others. Although many solutes are too big or charged to get through the cell membrane, water can freely pass through. Osmosis drives water out of the cells in a hypertonic environment.
Plant cells include huge sacs of fluid termed vacuoles that respond to HYSs. Vacuoles push outward into the plant’s cell walls when they’re full, keeping them stiff. When plants are placed in HYSs, their vacuoles decrease, and the plant’s vacuoles no longer supply enough pressure to keep it from wilting. The cell walls retain their rectangular shape but are less plump due to their stiffness. Animal cells, on the other hand, lack a cell wall and shrivel up like raisins.
HSs: A solution is HS to a cell if its solute thickness is lower than that of the cell. As a result, its water thickness is higher than that of the cell. Water is drawn out of the solution and into the cells by osmosis. As a result, when placed in an HS, both plant and animal cells appear plumper. Plant cells’ vacuoles appear substantially larger when examined under a microscope.
FAQs
What is a hypotonic solution?
The quintessential example of an HS is water. However, this, too, will be subjective to the solution being compared. In compared to an aqueous solution of a solute containing any amount of the solute, clean distilled water will always be HS.
What is a hypotonic and HYS?
When two solutions with differing solute thicknesses are compared, the one with the higher solute thickness is hypertonic, while the one with the lower solute thickness is HS.
What is a HYS and example?
A HYS is a solution with a thicker solute layer than another. The inside of a red blood cell compared to the solute thickness of fresh water is an example of a HYS.
Is water a HS?
The quintessential example of an HS is water. However, this, too, will be subjective to the solution being compared. In compared to an aqueous solution of a solute containing any amount of the solute, clean distilled water will always be HS. Because purified distilled water is devoid of all substances, it is regarded HS in any aqueous solution of a solute.
Is distilled water hypotonic?
The distilled water outside the red blood cell is HS (it has less salt than the red blood cell) because it is 100 percent water and contains no salt.
What does a hypotonic solution do to a cell?
When a cell is placed in an HS, a net flow of water into the cell occurs, and the cell gains volume. The solution is hypotonic to the cell if the solute thickness outside the cell is smaller than inside the cell and the solutes cannot cross the membrane.
Does hypotonic shrink or swell?
Although the presence of an HS or HYS causes swelling or shrinkage, the volume change is frequently not maintained. When a cell swells when placed in HS media, it may eventually lose some of its acquired volume, which is known as a regulatory volume drop, or RVD.
What are hypertonic fluids used for?
Hypertonic fluids are used by doctors to raise intravascular fluid content. In the case of hyponatremia, hypertonic saline might be used. Both hypertonic saline and mannitol have been shown to lower intracranial pressure.
What is a simple definition of hypotonic?
HS is an abbreviation for high school.
1: HS youngsters with a lack of tone or tension. 2: HS creatures that have a lower osmotic pressure than the surrounding medium or fluid.
What does hypotonic mean in biology?
A HS has a thinner solute layer than another solution. If a solution outside of a cell has a lower thickness of solutes than the cytoplasm, it is referred to as HS in biology. Water diffuses into the cell as a result of osmotic pressure, causing the cell to appear turgid or bloated.
What is hypotonic vs hypertonic?
A HS has a lower concentration than the cell, a HYS has a higher concentration than the cell, and an IS has a balance between the cell and the outside solution. A semi-permeable barrier surrounds our cells, allowing certain substances to pass through.
What is hypotonic in a cell?
An HS has a thinner solute layer than the inside of the cell (the prefix hypo is Latin for under or below). Water enters the cell due to the thickness differential between the compartments. Animal cells are less tolerant of this condition than plant cells.
