What is Plasmolysis?
{{Infobox medical condition |name = |image = Blausen 0683 OsmoticFlow Hypertonic.png |image_size = |alt = |caption = A red blood cell in a hypertonic solution, causing water to move out of the cell. |specialty = [[Cell biology]] |causes = [[Osmosis]] }} {{Multiple image|direction=vertical|align=right|image1=Rhoeo Discolor epidermis.jpg|image2=Rhoeo Discolor - Plasmolysis.jpg|width=180|caption2=Before plasmolysis (top) and after (bottom)}} '''Plasmolysis''' is the process in which [[Cell|cells]] lose water in a [[hypertonic]] [[Solution (chemistry)|solution]]. It is the shrinkage of the [[cytoplasm]] and cell surface [[membrane]] from the cell wall. If a [[plant]] cell is placed in a solution of lower water [[potential]], the [[Molecule|molecules]] of water leave the [[vacuole]] by [[osmosis]]. The vacuole loses water and becomes smaller. The cell is said to be ''plasmolysed''. ==Etymology== The term plasmolysis comes from the [[Latin]] word ''plasma'' meaning ‘matrix’ and the [[Greek language|Greek]] word ''lysis'', meaning ‘loosening’. {{sci-stub}} [[Category:Cell biology]]