Question

Water potential of a cell when it is placed in hypertonic solution:-

• A. Decreases
• B. increase
• C. first increase then decrease
• D. No change

Answer 1

The correct option is A Decreases

Pure water (i.e. water with no solutes) has a water potential value of 0. As you add solutes (i.e. sugar or salt) to water, the water potential value is lowered. This, therefore, means that the water potential value for any solution is always negative (as the value is lowered from the starting value of 0). Higher the concentration, lower is water potential.

A hypertonic solution has a higher solute concentration and a lower solvent concentration than the cell – hence water molecules would move out of the cell through osmosis. In this case, as water is leaving cells and concentration is increasing in cell water potential will decrease.

So, the correct option is 'Decreases'.