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Osmosis definitions

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  • Osmosis
    The diffusion of water across a semipermeable membrane from low to high solute concentration.
  • Semipermeable membrane
    A barrier allowing certain small molecules to pass while blocking others like ions or large molecules.
  • Solvent
    A substance, typically water, that dissolves solutes and moves across membranes in osmosis.
  • Solute
    Particles dissolved in a solvent, affecting the direction of osmosis based on concentration.
  • Concentration gradient
    The difference in solute concentration across a membrane, driving osmosis.
  • Osmotic pressure
    The force required to stop solvent flow through a semipermeable membrane.
  • Tonicity
    The relative concentration of solutes in solutions, determining solvent flow direction.
  • Hypotonic solution
    A solution with lower solute concentration and osmotic pressure compared to another.
  • Isotonic solution
    A solution with equal solute concentration and osmotic pressure as another.
  • Hypertonic solution
    A solution with higher solute concentration and osmotic pressure compared to another.
  • Equilibrium
    The state where solute concentrations are equal on both sides of a membrane, halting net solvent flow.
  • Hemolysis
    The swelling and bursting of a cell due to excessive water intake in a hypotonic environment.
  • Crenation
    The shrinking and dehydration of a cell due to water loss in a hypertonic environment.
  • Intravenous solutions
    Fluids administered into veins, which must be isotonic to bodily fluids to prevent cell damage.
  • Red blood cell
    A cell affected by osmotic conditions, swelling in hypotonic and shrinking in hypertonic environments.