osmosis

• Osmosis


  The net movement of water molecules across a partially permeable membrane from a region of higher water concentration to a region of lower water concentration
• Water concentration


  The amount of water as compared to the other molecules like sugars or salts that are dissolved in that water
• Solutes are the dissolving molecules in water
• Solutes


  • Sugars
  • Salts
• Osmosis in cells


  Water particles diffuse from the outside of the cell (higher water concentration) down the concentration gradient into the cell (lower water concentration)
• Diffusion is the net movement of particles from an area of higher concentration to an area of lower concentration
• Osmosis is a special case of diffusion, specifically the diffusion of water molecules
• The cell's partially permeable membrane separates the inside of the cell from the outside