Question

The cells were kept in a dilute salt solution. They were then transferred to distilled

Answer 1

When plant cells are placed in salt solution their appearance is different to when they are placed in distilled water. ... Therefore, water moves out of the cell across the partially permeable membrane by osmosis and the cell becomes flaccid as the cell membrane peels away from the cell wall

Answer 2

When cells are put in a dilute salt solution, water move out of the cell and into the salt solution by osmosis. This happens because the solution is more concentrated than the cell (meaning the solution has less water molecules than the cell) and by definition, osmosis is the movement of water molecules from a region of high concentration (of water molecules) to a region of lower concentration (of water molecules). When the cells lose water, the become flaccid or plasmolysed.

When these cells are placed in distilled water (pure water with no dissolved salts in it), water molecules from the distilled water move into the cell by osmosis. This can lead to cell lysis.