What are the Three types of osmotic solutions?
Osmosis is the process in which water moves from higher water concentration to lower water concentration through a semi-permeable membrane.
For example, the swelling of raisins when kept in water for some time.
The movement of water is affected by the amount of the substance dissolved in it. Depending on the concentration of the solution, there are three types of osmotic solutions.
| Hypertonic Solution | Isotonic solution | Hypotonic Solution | |
| Water in the cell | More than in surrounding | Same as in surrounding | Less than in surrounding |
| Water in the surrounding | Less than in cell | Same as in cell | More than in cell |
| Cells | Shrink | No change | Swell |
RBCs in different types of salt solutions
Let us understand these different solutions better with the examples of RBCs and salt solutions.
- Hypertonic Solution – The water content in the surrounding solution is less as compared to the cells placed in So, the salt content of the solution is more making it a concentrated solution. The water molecules start moving from inside the cells to the outside solution as the concentration of water is higher within the cells. The cells shrink in this type of solution.
- Isotonic Solution – The level of salt and water is the same on either side of the cell membranes, that is, within and outside the cell. There is a balance in the movement of water as the movement is the same in either As a result, the size of the cell did not change. So, the two solutions are isotonic when the concentration of water is the same on either side of the semi-permeable membrane.
- Hypotonic Solution – The cells are surrounded by a dilute solution, that is, by higher water The salt dissolved is less and the water content is higher. Therefore, water molecules move inside the cells and hence the cells got swollen. Such a solution has a higher water concentration compared to the other.
Hypertonic Solution, Isotonic solution, Hypotonic Solution