Osmosis and Reverse Osmosis

Osmosis is the spontaneous passage of a liquid from dilute to a more concentrated solution across an ideal semipermeable membrane. The transport of the water from one side of the membrane to the other continues until the pressure is large enough to prevent any net transfer of the solvent. At equilibrium, the quantity of water passing in the either direction is equal, and pressure is then defined as the osmotic pressure of the solution.

Reverse osmosis is a process that uses pressure to force water from a more concentrated solution to a pure solvent. This is the opposite of osmosis, and it is used in a variety of applications, such as water purification and desalination.

Questions

• What is osmosis?
• What is reverse osmosis?
• What are the conditions for osmosis to occur?
• What are the applications of reverse osmosis?

Answers

• Osmosis is the spontaneous passage of a liquid from dilute to a more concentrated solution across an ideal semipermeable membrane.
• Reverse osmosis is a process that uses pressure to force water from a more concentrated solution to a pure solvent.
• The conditions for osmosis to occur are that there must be a semipermeable membrane, a difference in solute concentration, and no net movement of solutes.
• The applications of reverse osmosis include water purification, desalination, and food processing.