3.2.1

Osmosis

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Osmosis

Osmosis is the net movement of water molecules from a region of higher water potential (dilute solution) to a region of lower water potential (concentrated solution), through a partially permeable membrane.

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Partially permeable membrane

  • A partially permeable membrane allows water through, but won't let larger molecules dissolved in water pass through.
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Water movement

  • Water will move to make the concentrations the same on both sides of the membrane:
  • When there are lots of water molecules (high water potential) on one side of a partially permeable membrane, but not many on the other side (low water potential), water will move from the dilute to the concentrated solution.
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Net movement of water

  • It is important to remember that water molecules will move through the membrane in both directions, but the net (overall) movement of water will be from high to low water potential.

Jump to other topics

1Classification of Living Organisms

2Organisation of the Organism

3Movement Into & Out of Cells

4Biological Molecules

5Enzymes

6Plant Nutrition

7Human Nutrition

8Transport in Plants

9Transport in Animals

10Diseases & Immunity

11Gas Exchange in Humans

12Respiration

13Excretion in Humans

14Coordination & Response

15Drugs

16Reproduction

17Inheritance

18Variation & Selection

19Organisms & Their Environment

20Human Influence on Ecosystems

21Biotechnology & Genetic Modification

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