STUUDDYYY TIIIMMEEEE :) @blues

Question

blues · Answer

First question...

karatechopper · Answer

Ok. So my question which I don't understand..Hypotonic, Hypertonic, and Isotonic. 
Can you explain those in a basic way?

blues · Answer

Yes. If you have a solution - salt dissolved in a cup, for example - you can always consider its concentration. The proportion of salt molecules to the proportion of water molecules. When there are a lot of salt molecules relative to water molecules, the water is very salty. If there are only a few salt molecules relative to water molecules, then the water is a little salty. The key is that the salt molecules have a concentration and that concentration depends on the number of salt molecules and the number of water molecules.

That is the one solution case - it's sort of background to the hyper/hyp/isotonic terms. Is that much clear?

anonymous · Answer

Hypotonic means less salt, more water. Hypertonic means more salt, less water. Isotonic means an equal amount of salt and water

blues · Answer

@cmp1210, yes it does. But the key is that these terms are always, always used to compare the concentrations in two different solutions. Usually they are separated by a barrier or membrane permeable to one type of molecule or not the other, or are able to exchange molecules in some other way.

karatechopper · Answer

A little. I think of Hypertonic as more active/more strength. Isotonic as same. And hypotonic as less active/less strength. More like how I think Isotonic is like the PH 7. And Hypertonic is basic. And Hypotonic is acidic...

karatechopper · Answer

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blues · Answer

Erm. My picture looks more like this:

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Imagine the barrier between the two compartments is permeable to water molecules only, not salt. This picture is the moment after salt has been added to one of the compartments. The one on the left is hypertonic to the one on the right, which is hypotonic to the one on the left. They are like ying and yang - these terms can't apply to one thing by itself, they have to relate one thing to another.

And after time passes, of course water molecules will diffuse down their concentration gradients (water from the right compartment will move into the left compartment), so then the two solutions on either side will be isotonic.