hypotonic sports drink - SportsID
Hypotonic and hypertonic describe the concentration of dissolved substances (solutes) in a solution compared to what’s inside a cell. A hypotonic solution has fewer solutes than the cell, so water flows into the cell. A hypotonic solution has a lower concentration of solute than another solution, meaning water will flow out of it.
Understanding the Context
An isotonic solution has the same or very similar concentration of solute as another solution, meaning the water flow will reach equilibrium. A hypotonic solution has a lower solute concentration than inside the cell (the prefix hypo is Latin for under or below). The difference in concentration between the compartments causes water to enter the cell. Conversely, a hypotonic solution has a lower solute concentration relative to another solution or a cell’s interior.
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Key Insights
Water will move into the cell from the less concentrated external solution. An isotonic solution has the same solute concentration as another solution or the inside of a cell. The term hypotonic has two parts: hypo means “less/under/beneath,” and tonic means “stretching or concentration of a solution.” A solution with a lower solute concentration or lower osmotic pressure across a semipermeable membrane is called a hypotonic solution. If the solute concentration outside the cell is lower than inside the cell, and the solutes cannot cross the membrane, then that solution is hypotonic to the cell. In a hypotonic solution, water moves into plant cells, causing them to become turgid and maintain their rigidity, something that's absolutely essential for the health and growth of the plant.
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If the two solutions across a semipermeable membrane do not have the same solute particle concentration, the solution with higher solute particle concentration and higher osmotic pressure is hypertonic, and the other has lower solute particle concentration and lower osmotic pressure is hypotonic.