A red blood cell placed in a beaker of solution immediately begins to swell and ultimately bursts. This occurs because the cytoplasm of the cell was ____ to the solution in the beaker, which was ____.

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

The cytoplasm of the cell was hypertonic to the solution in the beaker, which was hypotonic. This means the solution outside the cell had a lower concentration of solutes compared to the inside of the cell, causing water to move into the cell, leading to swelling and bursting.

A Red Blood Cell Placed in a Beaker of Solution