The process by which a red blood cell placed in distilled water absorbs water until it burst and realease it's content into the surrounding is known as

1. Analyze the question A red blood cell is placed in distilled water. The question asks for the name of the process by which the cell absorbs water, bursts, and releases its contents.

2. Explain the concept

• Distilled water is hypotonic to the cell's cytoplasm. It has a higher water potential than the inside of the cell.
• Water moves into the cell by osmosis, across the partially permeable cell membrane.
• An animal cell has no cell wall, so nothing stops it from swelling. The membrane eventually ruptures and the haemoglobin spills out.
• The bursting of red blood cells is called haemolysis (spelled hemolysis in American English). "Lysis" means breaking apart.

3. Check each option

• A. Osmosis: This is the movement of water that causes the swelling. But the question asks for the process in which the cell bursts and releases its contents, and osmosis alone does not name that.
• B. Plasmolysis: This is the shrinking of a plant cell's protoplasm away from the cell wall in a hypertonic solution. It is the opposite situation.
• C. Turgidity: This is the firm, swollen state of a plant cell full of water. Plant cells do not burst because the cell wall supports them.
• D. Hemolysis: This is the bursting of red blood cells and the release of their contents. It matches the question exactly.

4. Answer The process described is hemolysis, which is option D.

5. Tip Link the word parts: hemo = blood and lysis = breaking. Also remember:

• Plant cell in hypertonic solution → plasmolysis (shrinks)
• Plant cell in hypotonic solution → turgid (firm, does not burst)
• Animal cell in hypotonic solution → lysis (bursts)