Question

There is a cell with 20% solute on the inside and 80% solute on the outside. Describe which direction water will move and why? tell me inside or outside the cell.

please help!!!

Answer 1

inside of the cell - solute is 20 % therefore water is 80 %
outside of the cell - solute is 80 % therefore water is 20 %

so the inside of the cell has 80 % water and outside has 20 % .

ANY substance will always move from a region of its higher concentration to a region of its lower concentration. So now you decide in which direction the water should move .

Answer 2

Water will also move into the direction where there are more particles (called osmotic particles). If you were ever at the seaside, you may remember that if you let salt get on a towel it will always get damp (at least at moderate temperatures), becuse the salt is osmotically active and pulls water from the air to itself.

Another example would be lactose intolerance - when a person cannot digest lactose, the gut bacteria make loads of small particles from it by digesting it themselves, causing it to pull water from the body and cause diarrhea.

Also note that most cells have water channels, thus water can move across the membrane, while many of the solutes cannot (at least not freely).