Red blood cells were found to have burst open after being placed in distilled water for an hour. This phenomenon is known as
Answer Details
The phenomenon of red blood cells bursting open when placed in distilled water is called haemolysis. This is due to a process called osmosis, which is the movement of water molecules across a semi-permeable membrane from an area of high concentration to an area of low concentration.
When red blood cells are placed in distilled water, the water concentration outside the cell is higher than inside the cell, causing water molecules to move into the cell by osmosis. This results in an increase in the volume of water inside the cell, which can lead to the cell membrane rupturing and the release of the cell's contents into the surrounding environment.
The bursting of red blood cells is known as haemolysis, and this phenomenon is commonly used in laboratory experiments to study the properties of cell membranes and the effects of different solutions on cells.
In summary, the bursting of red blood cells when placed in distilled water is known as haemolysis, which is caused by the process of osmosis where water molecules move into the cell, causing an increase in volume and ultimately leading to the rupture of the cell membrane.