What is a dissolved solute? See details inside.?

Question

I'm getting really confused.

For example: If solution 1 has MORE dissolved solute than does solution 2, then solution 1 is _____.

a. a hypotonic solution

b. a hypertonic solution

c. an isotonic solution

Help please? Thanks!

Answer 1

B. a hypertonic solution.

A solute is what is being dissolve in a solvent. For example: when you dissolve salt in water, the salt is the solute and water is the solvent. The mixture of salt water is called a solution.

Hypo means less, hyper means more and iso means the same. Hypotonic, hypertonic and isotonic are relative words. For example: a solution of salt water with 10g of salt dissolved in it, is hypertonic relative to one with 5g of salt in it and is hypotonic relative to one with 20g of salt and is isotonic with another solution with 10g of salt in it (assuming that the amount of water in all 3 solutions is the same).

Answer 2

yeah I gotta go with B.  its been a while since I was in the classroom.  But that sounds right...

Answer 3

b hypertonic

hypertonic solutions always have more concentrations of solute than other solutions

isotonic means balanced (equal concentrations)

hypotonic means less concentration of solute

Answer 4

Solution 1 would be hypertonic relative to solution 2, but may not be hypertonic relative to normal physiological fluids.  So these terms are RELATIVE.  You can't have a hypertonic solution unless it is compared to something else.  The more dissolved ions, the more hypertonic relative to somethng with less dissolved ions.