Crossword clues for tonicity
The Collaborative International Dictionary
Tonicity \To*nic"i*ty\, n. (Physiol.) The state of healthy tension or partial contraction of muscle fibers while at rest; tone; tonus.
Wiktionary
n. 1 (context medicine English) The normal presence of tone or tension in a muscle or organ; tonus 2 (context sciences English) The ability of a solution to exert an osmotic pressure upon a membrane
WordNet
Wikipedia
Tonicity is a measure of the effective osmotic pressure gradient, as defined by the water potential of two solutions separated by a semipermeable membrane. In other words, tonicity is the relative concentration of solutions that determine the direction and extent of diffusion. It is commonly used when describing the response of cells immersed in an external solution. Unlike osmotic pressure, tonicity is influenced only by solutes that cannot cross the membrane, as only these exert an effective osmotic pressure. Solutes able to freely cross the membrane do not affect tonicity because they will always be in equal concentrations on both sides of the membrane.It is also a factor affecting imbibition.
There are three classifications of tonicity that one solution can have relative to another. The three are hypertonic, hypotonic, and isotonic.
Usage examples of "tonicity".
When the spermatic veins are over-distended to such an extent that their tonicity is impaired, they gradually lose their capacity for transmitting the blood, and a slowly increasing enlargement and tortuously of veins results.