A hypertonic solution implies that there is a higher concentration of solute outside of the cell than inside. To balance this difference in concentration, water from inside the cell will diffuse across the membrane and the cell will shrivel. If the solution were hypotonic to the cell, the opposite would happen: the cell would take in water from the solution, causing it to swell and potentially burst (lyse).

Though red blood cells do lack a nucleus, this is not related to the question at hand.

In order for the bag to gain weight, water needs to enter the tubing. The dialysis tubing must be placed in a hypotonic solution—a solution containing a higher percentage of water (lower concentration of ions) than the dialysis solution. This will cause water to enter the more concentrated solution within the dialysis tubing, in an attempt to reach equilibrium

Sodium ions and glucose are both monoatomic, so the composition of the solute is irrelevant. We simply need to find the greatest difference in concentration between the tubing and the beaker, in which the greater concentration is found in the beaker. Essentially, we want the maximum value of .

The greatest difference, in this case, occurs when a 50% sodium solution is present in the tubing and pure water is present in the beaker.

Cellular membranes are considered semipermeable, and allow certain substances to pass through without assistance from proteins. We typically follow the rule of thumb that substances that are small or nonpolar will be able to pass through the membrane. Water and hydrogen gas are both very small and can pass through the membrane relatively easily. Steroid hormones are large, but nonpolar, so they can pass through. Glucose is both large and polar, so it requires a carrier protein in order to cross.

The plasma membrane acts as a selective barrier and defines the boundaries of the cell. It allows for the passage of oxygen, nutrients, and wastes. The nucleus is enclosed by the nuclear envelope, not the plasma membrane.

The plasma membrane, also called cell membrane, is composed of a phospholipid bilayer that separates the outside of the cell from the inside of the cell. It is selectively permeable, and contains many proteins that facilitate the transduction of signals in and out of the cell, and allow for passage of specific substances. The nucleus, endoplasmic reticulum, nucleus, and mitochondria are membrane-bound organelles that exhist in the cytoplasm of eukaryotic cells.

Amphipathic molecules have both hydrophobic and hydrophilic regions (polar and non-polar). Phospholipids are amphipathic because they have a polar head and a non-polar tail. Since integral proteins are embedded within the phospholipid bilayer, the parts that are on either side of the plasma membrane are hydrophilic, and the parts that are in contact with the tails of the phospholipids are hydrophobic.

Phospholipids are the major component of cell membranes (the lipid bilayer), composed of two fatty acid tails attached to a glycerol head. The third hydroxyl group that is joined to a phosphate gives the cell a negative charge. The heads are hydrophilic, or “water loving” and the tails are hydrophobic, or “water fearing.” The hydrophilic heads create a selectively permeable “gate” into and out of the cell. Between the hydrophilic heads are the hydrophobic tails. Thus, small, uncharged, lipophilic molecules can diffuse into and out of the cell.

The fluid mosaic model states that amphipathic proteins are embedded in the phospholipid bilayer. The cell membrane is a fluid mosaic of phospholipids and proteins. Phospholipids and proteins move laterally within the membrane. The unsaturated hydrocarbon tails of the phospholipids keep membranes fluid at lower temperatures and cholesterol helps them resist changes in fluidity in the face of temperature changes. Like a mosaic, integral proteins are embedded in the lipid bilayer while peripheral proteins are attached to the membrane surface. Glycoproteins and glycolipids are also embedded on the exterior side of the plasma membrane and interact with surface molecules of other cells. This membrane structure results in selective permeability of the cell membrane, allows for cell-cell adhesion, and cell signaling.

Passive transport occurs when a molecule or ion moves down its concentration gradient and therefore requires no energy. More specifically, in facilitated diffusion, a type of passive transport, a transport protein speeds the movement of water or a solute across a membrane and down its concentration gradient. Active transport, on the other hand, uses energy or ATP to move solutes against their concentration gradients.

Phospholipids are the most abundant because their structure makes it possible for them to form membranes since they have hydrophilic and hydrophobic regions. In the phospholipid bilayer of a cell, the hydrophilic heads are exposed to the intracellular and extracellular compartments, which contain cytosol, and extracellular fluid, both of which are aqueous. The tails of the phospholipids are hydrophobic, and thus "hide" from the aqueous environments on either side of the cell membrane. This structure allows small, uncharged, and fat-soluble molecules to diffuse across the membrane.