Osmosis

Question 1

What is the water movement like?

Answer 1

Water will move to make the concentrations the same on both sides of the membrane. The likelihood of water molecules diffusing is called the water potential.
When there are lots of water molecules (in a dilute solution) on one side of a partially permeable membrane, but not many on the other side (in a concentrated solution), water will move from the dilute to the concentrated solution.

Question 2

What are the factors affect the rate of osmosis?

Answer 2

• The lower the water potential gradient, the slower the rate of osmosis.
• The thicker the membrane, the slower the rate of osmosis.
• The smaller the surface area, the slower the rate of osmosis.