IMED1001 Study Guide - Final Guide: Reflection Coefficient, Osmotic Concentration, Red Blood Cell
Document Summary
Closely related to the reflection coefficient question is. The fact that two different solutions may have the same osmolarity or osmolality. But they can have completely different effects on water distribution between the two fluid compartments. This comes about because of the different membrane permeabilities for the dissolved solutes in the two cases. When a solution causes cells to take up water and swell abnormally. The solution is said to be hypotonic. When cells do not change volume in the solution. Do not necessarily have the same tonicity. Consider the two cases shown below of a red blood cell (erythrocyte) suspended in large aqueous solutions of different solutes. In both cases the total concentration of dissolved particles in the solution, And hence the osmolarity is chosen to be the same as in the intracellular fluid of the cell (300mosmoles/l). The cell does not contain any of the solute in question.
