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![]() | The contents of the Hypertonic page were merged into Tonicity. For the contribution history and old versions of the redirected page, please see its history; for the discussion at that location, see its talk page. |
I thought tonicity referred to the solution with reference to the cell. i.e. 7% sodium chloride solution would be a hypertonic solution with respect to almost all living cells. 81.179.75.219 07:50, 3 July 2006 (UTC)[reply]
I am really confused about this page. I feel it is really off the reality according to what I read elsewhere at http://www.biotech.ufl.edu/EM/data/osmos.html Could an expert verify? --The PA 02:56, 7 September 2006 (UTC)[reply]
i dont think this page should be merged with osmoles
Change semipermeable membrane to partially permeable membrane — Preceding unsigned comment added by 94.101.161.175 (talk) 12:10, 6 March 2014 (UTC)[reply]
I'm proposing to merge isotonic, hypotonic, and hypertonic into this article. I think having several sections for these terms in here would be sufficient. - tameeria (talk) 20:16, 9 December 2007 (UTC)[reply]
Addendum: Per Wikipedia:Naming conventions, article names should be preferably nouns and adjectives should be redirects to nouns. In this case, "tonicity" is the noun that fits all of these adjective titles. - tameeria (talk) 04:44, 11 December 2007 (UTC)[reply]
I want to add information, but I'm not quite sure as to how to make it fit with the rest of the article. Basically, this entire article refers to tonicity between a cell and its external environment. However, tonicity does not have to relate to a cell. For example, a hypertonic solution is simply one with a greater impermeable solute concentration than the solution to which it is being compared. You can separate any two fluids with a semi-permeable membrane and have one be hyper/hypo/isotonic to the other. This is often used in reference to a cell, but does not need to be. Any ideas on how to incorporate this? Slevit1 (talk) 15:29, 21 February 2008 (UTC)[reply]
no comment —Preceding unsigned comment added by 212.72.11.30 (talk) 06:58, 17 May 2008 (UTC)[reply]
I think that the problem with this article would be solved very simply by indicating that in biology (where the term is most commonly used) the difference "tonicity" and "osmolarity" is mainly due to the urea, bicarbonate and glucose contents of the solutions on either side of the plasma- (or cell-) membrane. Urea, glucose and bicarbonate readily passes through any biological membrane that is permeable to water (urea and bicarbonate pass through the aquaporins, or "water channels" in cell membranes; glucose passes freely through GLUT transporters). Thus, a biologically isotonic solution (e.g. "isotonic saline") is hyposmotic (osmolality = 287 mosmol/kg H20) with respect to blood plasma (301 mosmol/kg H20) or the interior of red blood cells, because both these solutions (blood plasma and red cell cytoplasm) contain urea, glucose and bicarbonate which pass freely through the cell membrane. Another point of interest is that sharks' blood plasma is "isotonic" with mammalian red blood cells, but its osmolality is equal to that of sea water, nearly 4 times higher than that the osmolality of mammalian plasma. The discrepamcy is made up by very high plasma levels of urea in sharks' blood. I do not know how the boney fish cope with their hyperosmolar surroundings, other than what is suggested in this article, i.e. that they "drink" large amounts of sea water to make up for the losses through their gills, and then excrete the salt. Jkoeslag 28 December 2008.
Why on earth 2 separate sections, one headed "Isotonic Solution" and the other "Isotonicity"?? Cgingold (talk) 21:13, 13 March 2009 (UTC)[reply]
Also is there a reason why the definitions of hypertonic and hypotonic seem to be opposing the visual guides? — Preceding unsigned comment added by 69.126.27.228 (talk) 01:59, 25 November 2012 (UTC)[reply]
The article reads
Did the author mean to say hypertonic? Or hypotonic because the water solution absorbs into the tissue? -Arm (talk) 22:45, 10 May 2011 (UTC)[reply]
I think this article mixes up solutions and cells to the point where it isn't understandable for a casual reader. I think it needs a rewrite. — Preceding unsigned comment added by Yer maw (talk • contribs) 15:00, 27 November 2012 (UTC)[reply]
This is obviously incorrect and quite misleading. 95.204.194.187 (talk) 13:46, 8 September 2017 (UTC)[reply]