Why does a lettuce wilt if left too long in a dressing containing salt and vinegar?

Question

This question is a "conceptual question" in my chem textbook, in the Solutions chapter. I suppose it has something to do with the acidic properties in vinegar.... but what of the salt? Does it wilt because it needs -OH molecules from the water in the salad?

Thanks for your ideas!

Answer 1

Maybe you were studying osmosis, where if you have a semipermeable membrane between two aqueous solutions of differing concentration, water will migrate through the membrane from the more dillute solution to the more concentrated solution. The cell walls of the lettuce are a semipermeable membrane and the salt/vinegar solution is more concentrated than the fluid in the cells, so water is drawn out of the cells making the lettuce wilt.

Answer 2

It could be an osmotic thing, the salt is pulling the water out of the lettuce. I'm not sure, though.

Answer 3

I think its because the salt leaches all the water out of it.