What is the primary result of hypertonic solutions on cells?

When cells are placed in a hypertonic solution, the concentration of solutes outside the cell is higher than that inside the cell. This difference in concentration leads to osmosis, where water moves out of the cell in an attempt to balance the solute concentrations on both sides of the cell membrane. As water exits the cell, the cell loses volume, which results in cell shrinking, a process known as crenation in red blood cells.

Cell swelling occurs in hypotonic solutions, where the external environment has a lower solute concentration than the inside of the cell, causing water to enter the cell. Cell division is a biological process that is not directly affected by the tonicity of the surrounding solution; it refers to the process of a cell dividing into two or more daughter cells. Cell viability refers to the ability of cells to survive and function, which may be affected by extreme tonic conditions but is not the primary result of a hypertonic environment. Therefore, the primary effect of hypertonic solutions on cells is indeed cell shrinking.