Question

a patient is in need of hydration. which type of solution are the patients cells most likely in?
hypotonic
hypertonic
isotonic
osmotic

Explanation:

• In a hypertonic solution, the concentration of solutes outside the cell is higher than inside. This causes water to move out of the cell by osmosis, leading to cell dehydration.
• In a hypotonic solution, water would move into the cell (risk of cell lysis in animal cells like red blood cells).
• In an isotonic solution, there is no net movement of water across the cell membrane.
• Osmotic is a general term related to osmosis (movement of water across a semi - permeable membrane) and not a specific type of solution like the other three. Since the patient is dehydrated (cell has lost water), the cells are most likely in a hypertonic environment.

Answer:

hypertonic