A student prepared some plant cells from the inner epidermis of a red onion (Allium cepa). She placed one group of cells in distilled water and another group in a 1.0 mol dm−31.0\text{ mol dm}^{-3}1.0 mol dm−3 sodium chloride solution. She then used a light microscope to observe the cells.
Describe the differences in the appearance of the cells in the 1.0 mol dm−31.0\text{ mol dm}^{-3}1.0 mol dm−3 sodium chloride solution compared with the cells in distilled water.
State what is meant by the term osmosis.
Explain what happens to the cells in the 1.0 mol dm−31.0\text{ mol dm}^{-3}1.0 mol dm−3 sodium chloride solution to change their appearance.
Another student investigated the appearance of human red blood cells in distilled water and in a concentrated salt solution.
Use your knowledge of osmosis and the structure of red blood cells to describe and explain what the red blood cells would look like:
in distilled water
in concentrated salt solution.