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Osmosis is sometime a bit tricky to wrap one's head around.

We know that diffusion, a form of passive transport, brings "equilibrium" to concentrations of a solute within a give vessel. Imagine I put a few drops of food colouring into a tall glass of water. As soon as they make contact with the water, they begin to spread, ultimately over time, adding a hue of the original colour to the entirety of the vat.

With osmosis, rather than moving the solute (food colouring), it is the solvent which is moving across the membrane(water transport).

Assume, for argument's sake, that our special food colouring will not transverse the semi-permeable membrane. We have equal volumes of water on both side of the membrane, but one side contains twice as much food colouring as the other (higher concentration of colour is "hypertonic" to lesser concentration).

What we will observe is the movement of water from the hypotonic side (more water, less colour) to the hypertonic side (less water, more colour). The idea is, while the total mass of solute on both sides does not change, equilibrium will be achieved by moving water. By the time both solutions have the same hue (concentration), water will have shifted FROM the HYPOTONIC side TO the HYPERTONIC side, making both sides ISOTONIC.

I'm guessing you're learning about this for a Biology class of sorts. Best way to show osmosis is with crenation (crumpling) of a blood cell in a hypertonic solution, and the violent expansion and rupture (lysis) of a blood cell in a hypotonic solution.

The following is a <a href="http://www.YouTube.com/watch?v=7-QJ-UUX0iY">video from Youtube</a> to help you visualize what I've been yammering on about.

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11y ago
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4w ago

move from the side with the lower solute concentration to the side with the higher solute concentration until equilibrium is reached.

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Q: When two aqueous solutions that differ in solute concentration are placed on either side of a semipermeable membrane and osmosis is allowed to take place the water will?
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If a chemist wants to study dissfusion should a semipermeable membrane be used?

Yes, a semipermeable membrane is often used to study diffusion as it allows only certain particles or molecules to pass through while blocking others. This property is useful in controlling the movement of substances and observing their diffusion behavior.


What does semi permeable membrane do?

I semi-permeable membrane is a membrane when only certain substances can pass through it.it is a membrane that will only allow certain molecules through it . in general oxygen , food and water are allowed to enter ; waste products are allowed to exit and harmful substances are kept out. hope this helps.


When two aqueous solution that differ in solute concentration are placed on either side of a seipermeable membrane and osmosic is allowed to take place th the water will?

The water will move towards the higher solute concentration until both sides are isotonic.


In which direction would osmosis occur if 15 percent sugar solution is separated from a 25 percent sugar solution?

Osmosis would occur from the 15 percent sugar solution to the 25 percent sugar solution since the concentration of water is higher in the 15 percent solution. Water molecules will move across the semipermeable membrane to equalize the concentration of sugar on both sides.


If molecules were allowed to move randomly how would they disperse?

If molecules were allowed to move randomly, they would disperse by spreading out from areas of high concentration to areas of low concentration. This process is known as diffusion, and it is driven by the natural tendency of molecules to move from a region of higher concentration to a region of lower concentration to reach equilibrium.

Related questions

What semipermeable is only allowed certain molecules to enter the cell?

cell membrane may be what you are looking 4


When 2 solutions that differ in solute concentration are placed on either side of a permeable membrane and osmosis is allowed to take place the will exhibit a net movement to the side with lower solut?

e concentration. This is because water molecules will move from an area of higher concentration to an area of lower concentration in an attempt to equalize the solute concentrations on both sides of the membrane.


If a chemist wants to study dissfusion should a semipermeable membrane be used?

Yes, a semipermeable membrane is often used to study diffusion as it allows only certain particles or molecules to pass through while blocking others. This property is useful in controlling the movement of substances and observing their diffusion behavior.


How does osmosis take up water?

Osmosis is the transfer of a solvent (e.g. water) through a semipermeable membrane from a less concentrated solution on one side to a more concentrated solution on the other side. Osmosis is driven by ordinary statistical diffusion, the same movement of solvent occurs even without the membrane but the membrane prevents other types of mixing (e.g. mechanical, convection) that would allow mixing of solutes in the solutions. Only mixing by diffusion through the membrane is allowed.


What happens when concentration gradient 0?

When the concentration gradient is 0, no flow is allowed to go through the cell wall. To get motion through a membrane, the concentration gradient must be higher than 0.


What does semi permeable membrane do?

I semi-permeable membrane is a membrane when only certain substances can pass through it.it is a membrane that will only allow certain molecules through it . in general oxygen , food and water are allowed to enter ; waste products are allowed to exit and harmful substances are kept out. hope this helps.


What would happen to the resting membrane potential of a neuron if sodium were allowed to travel freely down its concentration gradient?

The cell will depolarise


When two aqueous solution that differ in solute concentration are placed on either side of a seipermeable membrane and osmosic is allowed to take place th the water will?

The water will move towards the higher solute concentration until both sides are isotonic.


In which direction would osmosis occur if 15 percent sugar solution is separated from a 25 percent sugar solution?

Osmosis would occur from the 15 percent sugar solution to the 25 percent sugar solution since the concentration of water is higher in the 15 percent solution. Water molecules will move across the semipermeable membrane to equalize the concentration of sugar on both sides.


Does the cell membrane let things pass through it?

Yes, the cell membrane is selectively permeable, meaning it allows certain substances to pass through while blocking others. This is essential for controlling the movement of molecules in and out of the cell to maintain internal balance.


What is the role of the cell membrane in moving substance in and out of the cell?

The cell membrane is considered to be semipermeable. This means that it will let some substances through (either in or out), but others it won't. The cell membrane is considered to be 3 layers (lipid, protein, lipid) Certain proteins will help substances into the cell, but some they won't let in. Generally, smaller molecules (oxygen, water, CO2, etc.) will pass through easier than larger molecules (glucose, other sugars). Basically, the cell membrane determines what substances are allowed to pass it/out of the cell.


Why is glucose allowed to pass through a semipermeable membrane and not starch?

Whether molecules are able to pass through the membrane depends on the size of the molecules. Smaller ones can, and larger ones cannot. Glucose can pass through a cell membrane because it is a monomer, which is a smaller molecule than the polymer molecules of starch.