Osmosis

Osmosis

Osmosis is the movement of a solvent from a region of low concentration to one of high concentration through a semi-permeable membrane. Consider the experiment below

i)        Peal a potato

ii)       Keep over salts

iii)     The potato shrink due to movement of water from potato (low concentration) to salt (high concentration)

Application of Osmosis

i)        Absorption of water molecules from soil to plant

ii)       Aquatic life is controlled by osmosis

iii)     Filtration process

Diffusion

Diffusion is the movement of particles from a region of high concentration to one of low concentration. For Example, perfume

Application of Diffusion

i)        Detecting harmful substance in the environment

ii)       In the use of refreshers and other sprays

iii)     Respiration process, oxygen diffuses into blood stream

iv)     Balance concentration of water and nutrients in and out of the cells of living organisms.