Osmosis

Front

What is osmosis?

Back

Osmosis is the movement of water molecules through a selectively permeable membrane from an area of lower solute concentration to an area of higher solute concentration.

Front

What does 'uneven sharing of electrons' in a water molecule result in?

Back

It results in a polar molecule, where the oxygen atom becomes partially negative and the hydrogen atoms become partially positive.

Front

What happens to a cell placed in a 4% salt solution?

Back

Water will move out of the cell, causing it to shrink.

Front

What happens to a cell placed in a 20% saline solution?

Back

Water will move equally in and out of the cell, leading to no net change in cell size.

Front

What does 'hypertonic' mean?

Back

Hypertonic refers to a solution that has a higher concentration of solutes compared to another solution.

Front

What is water potential?

Back

Water potential is the measure of the potential energy in water, indicating the direction water will move; it moves from areas of higher water potential to lower water potential.

Front

What is a selectively permeable membrane?

Back

A selectively permeable membrane allows certain molecules or ions to pass through it while blocking others.

Front

What is the difference between isotonic, hypertonic, and hypotonic solutions?

Back

Isotonic solutions have equal solute concentrations, hypertonic solutions have higher solute concentrations, and hypotonic solutions have lower solute concentrations compared to another solution.

Front

What is the effect of a hypotonic solution on a cell?

Back

In a hypotonic solution, water moves into the cell, causing it to swell and potentially burst.

Front

What role does osmosis play in plant cells?

Back

Osmosis helps maintain turgor pressure in plant cells, which is essential for structural support.