OSMOSIS

ENVIRONMENTAL ENGINEERING
PROJECT
J - COMPONENT

Shambhavi dixit - 17BCM009 Saunya Shukla - 17BCL0205

Nellore krishna keerthi -17BCE0117 Anjali Roongta -17BCE0099
 OSMOSIS

Osmosis is the spontaneous net movement of solvent molecules

through a selectively permeable membrane into a region of
higher solute concentration, in the direction that tends to
equalize the solute concentrations on the two sides.
 Mechanism of Osmosis
Solute particles decrease the chemical potential of water by decreasing the mole fraction of water. In
osmosis, a semipermeable membrane separates (say) dilute solution A and concentrated solution B.
Solute particles cannot pass through the semipermeable membrane. Water molecules are in random
motion. They strike the semipermeable membrane on both the sides and pass through the same

Since more free water molecules are present on the side of dilute solution A, more of them pass through
the membrane to enter the solution В as compared to the reverse flow. There is, therefore, a net diffusion
of water from its higher chemical potential (dilute potential) to its lower chemical potential
(concentrated solution).
• If the medium is hypotonic relative to the cell cytoplasm — the cell will gain
water through osmosis.
• If the medium is isotonic — there will be no net movement of water across the
cell membrane.
• If the medium is hypertonic relative to the cell cytoplasm — the cell will lose
water by osmosis.
 Factors Affecting Osmosis
• Temperature - The higher the temperature, the faster the movement of water molecules
across the semi permeable membrane.
• Surface Area - The larger the surface area, the more space for the molecules to move easily
across; the smaller the area, the more restricted the movements of the molecules and
the slower the movement.
• Difference in Water Potential – The higher the difference in water potential, the faster the
osmosis; for the lesser water molecules are in the region of low concentration, more
water molecules from the region of higher concentration can enter faster and easier.
• Pressure – The more the pressure, the faster the molecules will move for they are being
pushed faster across a low concentration.
• Concentration gradient - The movement of osmosis is affected by the concentration
gradient; the lower the concentration of the solute within a solvent, the faster osmosis
will occur in that solvent.
• Light and dark – They are also factors of osmosis; since the brighter the light, the faster
osmosis takes place.
 OSMOTIC PRESSURE
Osmotic pressure is the pressure which is applied to a solution to prevent the
inward flow of water across a semi permeable membrane, or simply put it is the
pressure required to stop osmosis. Osmotic pressure is shown when water
molecules that attempt to cross the semi permeable membrane are prevented
from doing so.
Example of osmotic pressure: Place some raisins in a cup of water for a few hours,
notice that they will swell and if kept longer will burst. The reason is that as water
continues to diffuse into the membranous cover of the raisins; this influx of water
builds up an internal pressure and upon reaching its limit the outer skin of the
raisin will burst once it can no longer bear the pressure.
 OSMOTIC GRADIENT
The osmotic gradient is the difference between two concentration solutions at either side of a
semi permeable membrane that distinguishes the different percentage of a specific particle
concentration that is dissolved in a solution. The osmotic gradient acts on solutions having a semi
permeable membrane between them; allowing water to diffuse between the two solutions toward
the solution with the higher concentration. Eventually, water with higher concentration will be
equally diffused to the side of a lesser concentration. It creates equilibrium for water continues to
flow equally both ways, resulting in a stabilized solution.
 REAL LIFE EXAMPLES
Animal Cells
This is the most popular example of osmosis, probably appearing in every chemistry textbook in
the country. As you will see with many examples of osmosis, this animal cell example involves
salt and water. Our cells have semipermeable membranes that do not allow salt particles to flow
in and out. The only way, then, “water down” an over salted cell is to allow water to move back
and forth. Therefore when we are dehydrated and drink a lot of water, we are reaching
equilibrium in our cells by filling them back up with water.
 Root Pressure
The plant cells work in the same fashio0n and are just as popular for osmosis
examples. If you’ve ever wondered how roots generate “pressure” to withdraw water
and nutrients from the soil, it’s through osmosis. This is accomplished by attracting
the polar nutrients in the soil toward the root’s cells. It’s a very clever trick because
the nutrients bring water with them and therefore solve this necessary problem for
plants.
• Slugs and Salt:
Garden slugs shrivel if you dust them with salt. The slug’s moist skin is a semipermeable
membrane; having a high concentration of salt on its exterior draws water out through osmosis.
The water moves out because this equalizes the salt concentration between its inside and outside.
However, the slug, like most living organisms, needs the water to live; when it loses too much water,
it withers and dies.

• Contact Lenses
Soft contact lenses consist of semipermeable materials. If you wear contacts after storing them in
sterile saline solution, the concentration of the saline in the contacts matches the salt content in the
natural fluid that moistens your eyes; the contacts stay moist, soft and comfortable. If you store
contacts in distilled water, the salt concentration is higher in the eye fluid and water flows out of the
contacts, slowly drying them out.

• The stomata open and close only in response to increase or decrease of the osmotic pressure of
the guard cells in relation to nearby epidermal cells
EXPERIMENTS
 RAW EGG EXPERIMENT
Materials Required:

• 3 eggs
• 3 glasses (large enough to fit the egg plus liquid)
• 3 butter knives
• White vinegar (about 3 cups)
• Distilled water (about 2 cups)
• Light corn syrup (about 1 ¼ cups)
• Slotted spoon
• Measuring cup (1 cup)
• Measuring spoons (1 tablespoon and ½ tablespoon)
Procedure
1.Place one egg in each glass. Pour in enough vinegar to cover each egg. Bubbles will start to form
around the egg, and it’ll float up. To keep it submerged, put a butter knife in the glass to hold it down.
2.Put the three glasses in the refrigerator and allow to sit for 24 hours.
3.Gently holding the egg in the glass, pour out the old vinegar. Replace with fresh vinegar, and let sit in
the refrigerator for another 24 hours. Repeat this process until the shells are fully dissolved and only the
membrane remains. This should take about 2-3 days.
4.Gently remove the eggs using the slotted spoon and rinse with tap water in the sink. Rinse out the
empty glasses as well.
5.Gently put the shell-less eggs aside for a moment on a plate.
6.Prepare three different sugar-water solutions as follows, labeling with sticky notes:
• Glass 1: Label “hypertonic”. Pour in one cup of corn syrup.
• Glass 2: Label “isotonic”. Add 1 ½ tablespoons corn syrup to the one cup measuring cup, and fill
the remainder with distilled water. Pour into glass (make sure you get all the corn syrup out!)
and stir to dissolve.
• Glass 3: Label “hypotonic”. Pour in one cup of distilled water.Gently put one shell-less egg in
each of the glasses, and let sit in the refrigerator for another 24 hours.
7.Remove the glasses from the refrigerator, and gently put the eggs on a plate. If you weighed the eggs
before putting them in each solution, weigh them again.
 OSMOSIS WITH POTATO SLICES
Materials:

A potato, salt, water (if you have distilled water, that kind is best), a couple of drinking glasses.

Procedure:

• Fill two glasses with water

• In one of the glasses add 2-3 tablespoons of salt, and stir it in
• Slice up a potato into French fry-like pieces
• Make your observations on these pieces: pay attention to color, how flexible it is, smell, etc.
• Take a guess about how you think these slices might change by putting them into the different
types of water
• Dunk the pieces in the water, and then let them sit overnight in it
• Remove the pieces onto a plate and make your final observations
One half is immersed in water and other in saline water
 HYPERTONIC V/S HYPOYTONIC

Requirements:
Beaker(2), thistle funnel(2), goat bladder or sheet of cellophane(2), thread, water and
sugar solution.

Method:
1. Cover the lower opening of the glass tube with the goat bladder or sheet of cellophane
and tie it with the thread.
2. Fill in the interior of the tube with molasses, a concentrated sugar solution in water.
4.Fill another tube with water(distilled).
5. Place the one apparatus in a beaker containing water, preferably distilled water.
6.Place second apparatus in beaker containing sugar solution.
4. Note the level of the water in the thistle funnel in both and keep the apparatus to note
the results.
 REFERENCES
• http://www.biologydiscussion.com/essay/essay-on-osmosis-definition-types-and-
importance/70697
• https://sciencing.com/raw-egg-vinegar-experiments-8122302.html
• https://www.freedrinkingwater.com/resource-a-complete-resource-guide-to-
osmosis.htm
• https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Osmosis
• https://www.researchgate.net/publication/16129039_Mechanism_of_osmosis
• http://www.untamedscience.com/biology/cells/osmosis/