Written by the Fiveable Content Team • Last updated September 2025
Written by the Fiveable Content Team • Last updated September 2025
Definition
A hypotonic medium is an extracellular environment where the concentration of solutes is lower than inside the cell. This can lead to water entering the cell through osmosis, potentially causing the cell to swell and burst.
5 Must Know Facts For Your Next Test
In a hypotonic medium, prokaryotic cells are at risk of osmotic lysis due to water influx.
Hypotonic conditions are commonly used in labs to lyse cells for DNA extraction.
Prokaryotic cells often possess rigid cell walls that prevent them from bursting in hypotonic environments.
The movement of water into the cell in a hypotonic medium is driven by osmosis.
Bacterial growth can be affected by hypotonic conditions as it influences cellular turgor pressure.
The movement of water across a semipermeable membrane from an area of low solute concentration to high solute concentration.
Hypertonic Medium: An extracellular environment with higher solute concentration than inside the cell, causing water to leave the cell.
Isotonic Medium: An extracellular environment where the solute concentration is equal inside and outside the cell, resulting in no net movement of water.