How Does Salt Solution Impact Cell Size?
What happens to a cell when placed in a salt solution?
Choose the best answer:
A. The cell expands due to the influx of salt
B. The cell remains the same size
C. The cell shrinks as water moves out
D. The cell multiplies rapidly
Answer:
The cell shrinks as water moves out
Explanation:
When a cell is placed in a salt solution, it shrinks due to a process called exosmosis. The salt solution is hypertonic, meaning it has a higher concentration of solutes (e.g., salt) compared to the cell's cytoplasm. As a result, water flows out from the cell to the salt solution to balance the concentration, following a concentration gradient.
This movement of water from an area of lower solute concentration to an area of higher solute concentration through a semipermeable membrane (cell membrane) is known as osmosis. The loss of water leads to the shrinking or crenation of the cell, a process called plasmolysis. This occurs as the cell membrane contracts and detaches from the cell wall, reducing the cell's overall size.
Organisms with a rigid cell wall, like bacteria, fungi, and plants, are better prepared for this change but still experience a loss in turgor pressure, leading to wilting. Salt is often used in food preservation because high salt concentrations can inhibit the growth of microorganisms by inducing plasmolysis.