A red blood cell is placed in a hypertonic solution and rapi…
A red blood cell is placed in a hypertonic solution and rapidly shrinks. A second red blood cell sample is treated with a compound that reduces the number of functional water channels in the membrane, then placed in the same hypertonic solution. These treated cells shrink more slowly than untreated cells. Identify the tonicity of the solution and predict the direction of net water movement for both samples. Explain why reducing water channels slows the volume change without changing which direction water will move. Predict what would happen if an ion channel opened that allowed potassium to leave the cell while in the hypertonic solution, and explain how that would affect water movement.
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