What would happen if one were to add a solute to water?

Answer 1

If a cell contains many dissolved solutes, this would mean that the cell has a HIGH concentration gradient. If this cell was placed in pure (distilled) water, the cell would most likely fill up, and in some cases, "explode".

This is because the ratio of water entering, to water exiting the cell is much higher than a cell containing minimal dissolved solutes.

If this cell was a plant cell, the cell wall around it would contain the water, and ensure the cell itself does not explode because of it's shape. However if the example was an animal cell (this has no cell wall), the cell would most likely explode...

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Answer 2

Adding a solute to water can result in the solute dissolving to form a homogeneous mixture called a solution. The solute particles will disperse throughout the water, leading to an increase in the overall volume of the resulting solution due to the solute particles occupying space between water molecules.

Answer 3

Both the freezing point of water would decrease and the boiling point of water would increase.