By Team Aakash Byju's
Let us study the basic terms related to ‘Osmosis’ before we start learning how it takes place.
Osmosis is associated with the osmotic pressure and the medium involved in the process.
It is a process where the solvent from a low concentrated solution passes to the high concentrated solution through a semipermeable membrane until the solution reaches equilibrium.
The semi-permeable membrane (SPM) is a thin layer that allows only a certain size of molecules to pass through it.
Animal bladder or parchment paper are some common semi-permeable membranes used in the process of osmosis.
It is a passive and spontaneous process that doesn’t need any form of applied energy. Molecules move from one region to another on their own till equilibrium.
– Red blood cells – Roots of plants
Let us understand the process of osmosis through an experiment with the water-sugar solution immersed in water.
Place the water-sugar solution in an inverted thistle funnel with a SPM attached to its bottom. Place a beaker containing water such that the thistle funnel is immersed in it.
SMP allows only the molecules of the solvent and not of the solute to pass through it. So, we can see the movement of water molecules from pure solvent into the solution.
This movement of water into the thistle funnel results in the rise of the solution level gradually. The process that takes place here is Osmosis.
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