Question
Explain the following phenomena:
(i) Hemolysis
(ii) Crenation.
Solution
Answer:
(i) Hemolysis: The red blood cells are protected from the external environment by a semipermeable membrane. The red blood cells are placed in a hypotonic solution. Because the hypotonic solution is less concentrated than the interior of the cell, water moves into the cell. The cell swells and eventually burst, releasing hemoglobin and other molecules. This process is called hemolysis.
(ii) Crenation: When a bacterial cell is placed in a hypertonic (high concentration) sugar solution, the intracellular water tends to move out of the bacterial cell to be more concentrated solution by osmosis. This causes the cell to shrink and eventually, to stop functioning. This process is called crenation.
