Hypertonic vs Hypotonic

[wizenedone]

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Could someone help explain what is meant by hypertonic vs hypotonic..

High SOLUTE concentration = low WATER concentration?
and vice versa?

I was confused on how Kaplan book explained it..

 

[RySerr21]

Could someone help explain what is meant by hypertonic vs hypotonic..

High SOLUTE concentration = low WATER concentration?
and vice versa?

I was confused on how Kaplan book explained it..

yes you got it. if you say cell A is HYPERtonic in reltation to its fluid surrounding, that means that the [ ] of SOLUTE is greater in the cell than the surrounding fluid. The way i think of it is the more solute you have, the less room you have for water or other fluid. Therefore, a cell that is hypertonic will have less fluid and fluid from the outside will rush down its concentration gradient (high to low) causing the sell to lyse.

If a cell is described as hypotonic, the solute [ ] is less which leaves more room for fluid to be in the cell. Since the fluid is higher [ ] in the cell than out, it will flow down its concentration gradient and leave the sell causing it to shrink.

hopefully that made sense. it can get kind of confusing trying to explain and probably more so trying to learn.

 

[phospho]

ryserr explained it quite well... also, remember that "hyper" means "lots of"...

in this case, it means lots of solute...

e.g. hypersalinic (lots of salt), hyperventilation (lots of breathing in and out), hyperosmotic (equivalent to hypertonic), hypertension, etc...

"hypo" means "little of" (at least that's what I tell myself)... hope that helps

 

[wizenedone]

ryserr explained it quite well... also, remember that "hyper" means "lots of"...

in this case, it means lots of solute...

e.g. hypersalinic (lots of salt), hyperventilation (lots of breathing in and out), hyperosmotic (equivalent to hypertonic), hypertension, etc...

"hypo" means "little of" (at least that's what I tell myself)... hope that helps

I understand that but I was refering to what it means in terms of water conc.

Like if a cell is "hypertonic" it means lots of solute conc. inside the cell and thus low on water..thus water from outside the cell will go INSIDE the cell....?

 

[HolyGrail]

Yes, hypertonic will mean that water will flow into the cell since there is a high concentration of solute inside, drawing the water in.

!!!!EDIT!!!!

If the cell is in a hypertonic solution though, the water will flow OUT of the cell. This is in stark contrast to the cell being "hypertonic". Hope this makes sense.

 

[wizenedone]

Yes, hypertonic will mean that water will flow into the cell since there is a high concentration of solute inside, drawing the water in.

!!!!EDIT!!!!

If the cell is in a hypertonic solution though, the water will flow OUT of the cell. This is in stark contrast to the cell being "hypertonic". Hope this makes sense.

You mean if the cell is hypotonic, then water will flow out..????

 

[phospho]

You mean if the cell is hypotonic, then water will flow out..????

no, it will flow in...

i see where you're confused.

If the cell is "hypertonic", that will automatically mean that the MEDIUM is hypertonic, which means that the cell will lose water and eventually will lyse.

You will never see any question that will refer to the cell. It will ALWAYS refer to the medium.

Therefore, when we say the cell is hypotonic, that means that solution will flow INTO the cell, since the solute is concentrated inside the cell. That's why Examkrackers or Kaplan (one of them) tells us to remind ourselves of a large "O" (a big bubble) when we see hypOtonic, since the cell gets bigger as it fills with water.

Best of luck!

 

[wizenedone]

no, it will flow in...

i see where you're confused.

If the cell is "hypertonic", that will automatically mean that the MEDIUM is hypertonic, which means that the cell will lose water and eventually will lyse.

You will never see any question that will refer to the cell. It will ALWAYS refer to the medium.

Therefore, when we say the cell is hypotonic, that means that solution will flow INTO the cell, since the solute is concentrated inside the cell. That's why Examkrackers or Kaplan (one of them) tells us to remind ourselves of a large "O" (a big bubble) when we see hypOtonic, since the cell gets bigger as it fills with water.

Best of luck!

Look what HolyGrail said

If the cell is in a hypertonic solution though, the water will flow OUT of the cell. This is in stark contrast to the cell being "hypertonic". Hope this makes sense.

He is saying if cell is HYPERTONIC

doesnt that mean that there is HIGH SOLUTE CONC. INSIDE THE CELL
which means there is LESS water inside the cell and thus water will FLOW IN.

HolyGrail is saying water will flow out??

huh. now im confused. :-/

 

[wizenedone]

What I was asking was..

Does HolyGrail mean "Hypotonic" instead of "Hypertonic"??

 

[nobleheart]

think of the "o" in hyp"o"tonic as a swollen cell....t

 

[wizenedone]

think of the "o" in hyp"o"tonic as a swollen cell....t

Yes, I am thinking of o in hypOtonic as a swollen cell. However, I wanted to see HOW this is the case...

 

[wizenedone]

Oh never mind guys, I think i get it now.

Even tho we think of O in HypOtonic as a swollen cell..its not the cell thats hypotonic but the solution is hypotonic...

lol...am i right?

Kaplan book just confused me so much!! the way they make it sound is..if we htink of a swollen cell, its the cell thats hypotonic (which is not the case).

 

[HolyGrail]

Bahhhh, semantics.

If a cell is in a Hypertonic solution, the cell will shrink.

If a cell is in a Hypotonic solution, the cell will expand.

If the cell is in an Isotonic solution, the cell will remain the same.

If the cell is Hypertonic with respect to the medium, it will expand, this infers that the solution it is in, the medium, is Hypotonic.

If the cell is Hypotonic with respect to the medium, it will contract(shrink), this infers that the solution it is in, the medium, is Hypertonic.

This is as plainly as I can say it I think.

 

[wizenedone]

Bahhhh, semantics.

If a cell is in a Hypertonic solution, the cell will shrink.

If a cell is in a Hypotonic solution, the cell will expand.

If the cell is in an Isotonic solution, the cell will remain the same.

If the cell is Hypertonic with respect to the medium, it will expand, this infers that the solution it is in, the medium, is Hypotonic.

If the cell is Hypotonic with respect to the medium, it will contract(shrink), this infers that the solution it is in, the medium, is Hypertonic.

This is as plainly as I can say it I think.

Thanks I got it now..I was confusing hypertonicity/hypotonicity in solution vs the cell

 

[phospho]

Thanks I got it now..I was confusing hypertonicity/hypotonicity in solution vs the cell

i think kaplan was very vague on that. Just know that we will never be talking about the cell. We are ALWAYS talking about the solution, i.e. the medium.