Marine cartilaginous fishes ionoregulate their internal environment, with extracellular Na⁺ and Cl^- concentrations (total concentration about 600 mOsm) lower than sea water. Given that these two ions predominatly occur as NaCl, what would be the molar concentration of NaCl in the cartilaginous fishes?

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

Since Na+ and Cl- are the predominant ions and their total concentration is about 600 mOsm, and given that NaCl dissociates into these two ions, the molar concentration of NaCl would be half of the total osmolarity, which is 300 mM.

Marine Cartilaginous Fishes Ionoregulate Their Internal Environment, with Extracellular Na+

Marine Cartilaginous Fishes Ionoregulate Their Internal Environment, with Extracellular Na⁺