Help save Frank’s life by choosing the correct saline solution for an intravenous drip. Join Dr. One in the lab to discover what a hypotonic, isotonic and hypertonic solution is and how water is transported across the cell membrane in osmosis.
High School
University / College
Choosing an IV fluid
You will meet Frank in the hospital. He is dehydrated because of sunstroke and needs extra fluids. There are three solutions available, but which one is the correct one to avoid damaging Frank’s blood cells?
Finding the isotonic point
Join Dr. One in the lab to understand exactly how water is transported across the cell membrane in osmosis. An animation will show you how the solute concentration of a solution can be equalized through diffusion and osmosis. You will see how solutes can move through the solution via diffusion and how water is transported across a semipermeable membrane in osmosis. You will then place potato cubes in a serial dilution of saline to see how water moves either into or out of the cells depending on the salt concentration.
Once you have plotted your results, you will be able to identify the isotonic point where the salt concentration of the solution is exactly the same as the salt concentration inside the cells. You will also see in which direction the water moves in both a hypotonic and a hypertonic solution. Finally, you can see the effect of hypotonic and hypertonic solutions on cells by adding these solutions to a blood sample and observing the red blood cells under the microscope.
Back to the hospital
After your experiments, you fully understand the three saline solutions that were available to Frank and the effect that the salt concentration will have on the cells in his blood. Review your hypothesis and advise Frank and his doctors on the correct IV solution.
Length:
14
mins
Accessibility mode:
Available
Languages:
English (United States)
French
Spanish
German
Italian
At the end of this simulation, you will be able to:
Understand how solute concentration drives the movement of molecules across a semipermeable membrane
Distinguish between osmosis and diffusion
Define the terms osmosis and hypotonic, hypertonic and isotonic solutions
Compare and contrast osmosis in hypotonic and hypertonic solutions
At the end of this simulation, you will be able to:
University
NGSS
IB
AP
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Understand how solute concentration drives the movement of molecules across a semipermeable membrane
Distinguish between osmosis and diffusion
Define the terms osmosis and hypotonic, hypertonic and isotonic solutions
Compare and contrast osmosis in hypotonic and hypertonic solutions