What is osmosi, and how does it work?
1 Answer
Osmosis is the movement of solvent from region of high concentration to region of low concentration through a semipermeable membrane. It occurs in liquids and gases.
Explanation:
When the semipermeable membrane has pure water on both of its side ( isotonic solution ) , there is no net movement of water. This is because water molecules pass in and out in both directions at the same rate.
If a cell is submerged in salt water ( hypertonic solution ) , then water molecules move out of the cell. This is because concentration of water is high within the cell than outside.
However if a cell is placed in freshwater ( hypotonic solution ) , water moves into the cell as concentration of water is lower in the cell than outside.
Osmosis is vital to living organisms as most cell membranes are semipermeable. Osmosis is the primary process by which water is transported into and out of the cell. It also maintains the turgor pressure of the cells.
