OSMOSIS

Osmosis is a process of movement of solvents through a semi-

permeable membrane from a region of lower solute concentration to
higher solute concentration. On the contrary, diffusion does not require a
semi-permeable membrane to occur and the molecules move from a
region of higher concentration to lower concentration.

PROCESSES OF OSMOSIS
1. HAEMOLYSIS

2. CRENATION

Crenation is a phenomenon that happens when animal cells are exposed to a hypertonic
solution, which means that the solution in which the cells are bathed has a high
concentration of solutes. Cells shrink and their forms become altered during crenation,
generally with a ruffled or scalloped edge.

3. PLASMOLYSIS

Plasmolysis describes a process involving a plant cell losing water content and therefore
contracting and shrinking its cytoplasm and plasma membrane away from the inside of its
cell wall. This occurs if the solution surrounding a plant cell is hypertonic or has a high
concentration of solutes like salt.
 4. DEPLASMOLYSIS

Deplasmolysis refers to the reverse of plasmolysis by which the normal size of the protoplasm is
established by the entrance of water into the cell by endosmosis. Thus, deplasmolysis is the
swelling of a plasmolyzed cell. It occurs when the cell is placed in a hypotonic solution.

SOLUTIONS OF OSMOSIS

1. HYPERTONIC SOLUTION

A solution will be hypertonic to a cell if its solute concentration is higher than that inside the
cell, and the solutes cannot cross the membrane. If a cell is placed in a hypotonic solution, there
will be a net flow of water into the cell, and the cell will gain volume
 2. HYPOTONIC SOLUTION

Hypotonic solution refers to a solution containing a lower amount of solute in comparison to the
solute concentration in other solutions, across a semipermeable membrane. Such a solution has a
decreased solute concentration and a total movement of water in the cell. This causes breakage of
swelling.

3. ISOTONIC SOLUTION

An isotonic solution is defined as two solutions of equal concentrations of solutes and water
separated by a semipermeable membrane to allow water to move freely in and out of a cell.
ROLES OF OSMOSIS IN LIVING THINGS

 Osmosis helps to maintain shape and size of animal cells.

 Absorption of water by intestinal cells takes place through osmosis.
 Plants absorb water from the soil with the help of root hair through osmosis.

METHODS/WAYS TO DEMOONSTRATE OSMOSIS

METHOD

VISKING TUBING METHOD

Requirements

 2 x 40cm Length of visking tubing.

 2 Beakers.
 2 Glass rods.
 2 Small funnel.
 Scissors.

VISKING TUBING EXPERIMENT

Water moves by osmosis from the high water concentration (dilute solution) in the
beaker into the low water concentration (concentrated solution) in the Visking
tubing across the membrane, increasing the volume of liquid in the Visking tubing,
which forces liquid up the capillary tube.

Observation
The visking tubing containing the distilled water shows no change in mass (i.e. it has not gained
or lost water). The visking tubing containing the 80% sucrose solution will have filled with water
so that it has gained mass.