This membrane mimics the plasma membrane that is around animal cells. In order to explore how water moves in and out of a cell, one cell was weighed and then submerged in hypertonic solution. The other egg was weighted and submerged in hypotonic solution. It was predicted that the egg submerged in hypertonic solution would decrease in mass. It was predicted that the egg submerged in hypotonic solution would increase in mass.
Explanation:
The outermost covering of an animal cell is the plasma membrane. It is a selectively permeable membrane that allows only selective molecules to pass through it.
A solution having higher concentration of solute than the cell cytoplasm is called a hypertonic solution.
A solution having lower concentration of solute than the cell cytoplasm is called the hypotonic solution.
The movement of water molecules from the region of its higher concentration to the region of its lower concentration through a semipermeable membrane is called osmosis.
A cell placed in hypertonic solution will undergo exosmosis so it will lose water and its mass will decrease.
A cell placed in hypotonic solution will undergo endosmosis of water so it will gain water and its mass will increase.
