What is happening when cells start to swell up with water?
1 Answer
Aug 5, 2016
Cells swell up when water gets inside the cell by endosmosis .
This can happen when cell is immersed in a hypotonic solution.
Explanation:
Total molar concentration of all dissolved solutes of the hypotonic solution is less than that of cell cytoplasm. We know that water tends to flow towards high concentration of solute when two solutions remain separated by a semi permeable membrane, to equalise solute concentrations of both solutions: the process is called Osmosis.
Thus when a cell is placed in hypotonic solution it tends to receive water and swells up. An animal cell may even swell and burst, plant cells are saved because of presence of cell wall.
