How would the volume of the cell change?

Question

What would happen to a cell containing 50mM NaCl, 150 mM glucose, and 100 mM protein if placed into a solution of 50mM NaCl, IF the cell were permeable to salt, glucose and water? Explain.

Answer 1

Osmosis depends on the solutes that can NOT move through the membrane. Whichever solute can move through the membrane will just diffuse to the side that has the lower concentration for that specific solute.

So we don't really care about the glucose; it will just diffuse away.
NaCl can also move freely and since the concentration of NaCl is the same inside and outside of the cell we don't need to worry about a Donnan effect.
Thus we only need to consider the protein.
The membrane is not permeable to protein. Therefore the only way to equilibrate the concentrations/osmotic pressures of the two solutions will be for water to enter the cell. The cell is hypertonic or the solution is hypotonic (whatever suits you best), the cell will gain water and its volume will increase.

Answer 2

It depends on the quantity of water, both on the cell and the exterior. Volume of whatever is inside it doesn't matter, concentrations do.
Ex: if the cell has 50 mL of water, NaCl concentration is 50/50, = 1g/L. You'll have to calculate all concentrations. Then both (cell and exterior), shoul be the same. In my example, and if NaCl concentration outside the cell was 1g/L, nothing would happen to it. Some of the glucuse and proteins, though, will exit the cell, because none exists outside. The cell will not draw water inside because it's permeable to everything. Otherwise, it would.

Answer 3

This is a guess -- the cell volume would increase, because the protein and the glucose inside the cell will draw water in, despite the NaCl concentration being the same on both sides of the cell membrane.

Answer 4

The volume would decrease as the sell is hypertonic to the outside. Stuff will leak out till the molarity of both is the same. ie Isotonic. Hence when the total molarity inside is 100 mMolar (as NaCl splits up completly (Solutions Class XII)

Answer 5

<>Actually, it depends on the permeability of the cell wall. The tendency is for homeostasis, a balance between what is inside the cell and what is outside. Unless acted upon by some other force, if there is more of something inside the cell than outside, the material will try to pass through the cell wall, causing the cell volume in the cell to decrease and the cell to shrink (crenate). If the material cannot pass through the wall, then the cell will try to balance the solution inside by drawing in water from the outside, causing the volume inside, and therefore the cell size, to grow (hemolysis).