Osmosis

• Osmosis


  Net movement of water from a high water potential to a low water potential through a semi-permeable membrane
• Water Potential


  The ability of water to move from one solution to another
• Water Potential of Pure Water


  0
• As you add solutes...


  The ability of water to move away is reduced
• Hypotonic


  One of the two solutions has more water and less solute
• Hypertonic


  One of the two solutions has less water and more solute
• Isotonic


  Both solutions have the same water and solute concentration
• What happens when cell is placed in pure water?


  • Animal - Become Haemolysed
  • Plant - Become Turgid, Cell Wall stops cell from bursting
• What happens when cell is placed in concentrated solute solution?


  • Animal - Becomes flaccid, cell contents shrink
  • Plant - Becomes plasmolysed, Cell membrane and vacuole shrink - pulling from the cell wall