Question

question 14 1 pts mammalian blood contains the equivalent of 0.15m nacl. seawater contains the equivalent of 0.45m nacl. what will happen if red blood cells are transferred to seawater? hint: draw a picture to help you. the blood cells will take up water, swell, and eventually burst. nacl will passively diffuse into the red blood cells. nacl will be exported from the red blood cells by facilitated diffusion. water will leave the cells, causing them to shrivel and collapse.

Explanation:

Seawater has a higher salt (NaCl) concentration (0.45M) compared to mammalian blood (0.15M). This makes seawater hypertonic relative to red - blood cells. In a hypertonic solution, water moves out of the cells by osmosis. Osmosis is the diffusion of water across a semi - permeable membrane from an area of lower solute concentration to an area of higher solute concentration.

Answer:

Water will leave the cells, causing them to shrivel and collapse.