what is the difference between isotonic and isometric?
Chemical reactions in chemistry can be described using certain parameters such as isotonic and isometric. The term Iso as used in the two terms means similarity.
Tonicity means concentration while metric means the physical dimension of the object. The core difference between isotonic and isomeric in tabular form below highlight key areas for easy distinction.
What Is Isotonic?
Isotonic refers to the concentration of the solution that has attain balance in a reference system. This term is commonly used in cell biology.
For instance, when a cell sap is a place in an external solution which is isotonic, there will be no net transfer of solution to or from the cell.
The majority of cells tend to survive in such kind of environment. Hypotonic when the concentration of the solution is lower than that of cell sap.
Hypertonic is when the concentration of the cell sap is greater than that of the external environment. The solution is not ideal for cells to survive.
What Is Isometric?
Isometric refers to the volume of a reaction that remains the same throughout. The occurrence of chemical reaction results in a change in physical properties.
The main factors that influence isometric are volume, pressure, and temperature. Therefore, the isometric reaction happens under constant volume.
An example of isometric reactions is when a reaction occurs in a sealed container. Other terms used are isothermal and isobaric.
Isothermal refers to a reaction where the temperature is maintained constant while isobaric means pressure is kept constant.
Comparison Chart: Isotonic Vs Isometric
| Basic Terms | Isotonic | Isometric |
| Meaning | It is where the concentration of the solution is the same as the reference system | It is when the volume of the reaction remains the same throughout |
| Use | Cell biology | Chemical reaction |
| Principle of Motion | Apply the physical principle of osmosis | Does not apply any principle |
| Reference | Describe the property of the solution | Relate to space and volume |
Core Difference between Isotonic and Isometric
- Isotonic is when the concentration of the solution is the same as a reference while isometric is when the volume of the reaction remains the same throughout
- Isotonic is applicable in cell biology while isometric is applicable in a chemical reaction
- Isotonic entails the physical principle of osmosis whereas isometric does not involve any principle of motion
- Isotonic is used to describe the property of solution whereas isometric relate to space and volume
Read More: Different between Solute and Solvent
Comparison Video
Summary
The core difference between isotonic and isometric is that isotonic is a concentration that has to attain balance as reference whereas isometric is when the volume of the reaction remains the same throughout.