osmosis Flashcards
what is osmosis?
net movement of water across a partially permeable membrane from a high to low water potential (down the water potential gradient)
what is osmosis?
net movement of water across a partially permeable membrane from a high to low water potential (down the water potential gradient)
what is water potential measured in?
measured in kpa
what does pure water have?
the highest water potential of 0kpa
what happens when solutes are added to a solution?
the water potential decreases (water potential becomes more negative)
water are the three catergories based on their water potential relative to a cell?
Hypotonic ( less solute, higher water potential), Isotonic ( equal solute, same water potential), Hypertonic (more solute, lower water potential )
what happens in a isotonic solution?
there is no net movement and an equal volume of water enters and leave the cell
what happens in an hypotonic solution?
there is a net movement into the cell and more water enters the cell than leaves. (could cause the cell to swell)
what happens in hypertonic solutions?
there is a net movemnt out of the cell and more water leaves the cell than enters, could cause the cell to shrink
what is water potential?
the ability of water molecules to leave a solution