Multiple Choice
In the context of passive transport across cell membranes, what is the key difference between simple diffusion and facilitated diffusion?
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9. Transport Across Membranes
Passive Transport: Diffusion and Osmosis
Multiple Choice
In the context of passive transport (diffusion and osmosis), a red blood cell placed in a hypertonic medium will most likely:
A
Actively pump water into the cell to restore its original volume
B
Gain water by osmosis and swell, potentially lysing
C
Show no net movement of water because the medium is isotonic
D
Lose water by osmosis and shrink (crenate)
Verified step by step guidance1
Understand the concept of passive transport, which includes diffusion and osmosis, where molecules move from an area of higher concentration to an area of lower concentration without energy expenditure.
Recognize that a hypertonic medium has a higher solute concentration outside the red blood cell compared to the inside, creating an osmotic gradient.
Apply the principle of osmosis: water moves across the cell membrane from the region of lower solute concentration (inside the cell) to higher solute concentration (outside the cell) to balance solute levels.
Predict that water will move out of the red blood cell into the hypertonic medium, causing the cell to lose water and shrink, a process known as crenation.
Conclude that the red blood cell will not actively pump water in (since active transport requires energy and is not involved in passive transport), nor will it swell or show no net movement in a hypertonic environment.
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