What is the process called when blood cells swell and burst in a hypotonic salt solution?

The process in which blood cells swell and burst in a hypotonic salt solution is referred to as hemolysis. This occurs when the concentration of solutes outside the cell is lower than the concentration inside the cell, leading to water moving into the cell by osmosis. As water enters the cell to balance the solute concentrations, the internal pressure increases, causing the cell membrane to stretch and potentially rupture. This is particularly relevant in the context of red blood cells, which are susceptible to damage from hypotonic solutions.

Osmosis refers to the movement of water across a semipermeable membrane from a region of lower solute concentration to a region of higher solute concentration, but it does not specifically result in cell bursting. Fermentation is a metabolic process that converts sugar to acids, gases, or alcohol, which is unrelated to the physical changes occurring in cells due to osmotic pressure. Hydrolysis involves the breakdown of compounds by the addition of water, which, while a chemical process, does not describe the cellular damage observed in hemolysis. Thus, when blood cells undergo swelling and bursting due to a hypotonic environment, the phenomenon is specifically termed hemolysis, highlighting the direct effect of osmotic imbalances on cell integrity.