What is osmosis and how does it work?

Osmosis is basically the movement of water across a semi-permeable barrier (i.e. a barrier that lets some molecules through but not others - like a cell membrane). Usually, the water muct move down something called a concentration gradient, which I will explain with an example.

Imagine that you have a tank of water, with a semi-permeable barrier splitting it in two. On one side of the tank, the water is 80% pure, but on the other side of the tank the water is only 40% pure. During osmosis, the water molecules will move through the semi-permeable from the area of high concentration (i.e. the 80% side) to the area of low concentration (i.e. the 40% side) until there is an equilibrium (i.e. until there is no overall movement of molecules). 

Hope that helps!

ES
Answered by Emma S. Science tutor

24935 Views

See similar Science GCSE tutors

Related Science GCSE answers

All answers ▸

What two products are produced when a metal and an acid are added together


What are the three types of radiation?


What are hydrocarbons and why are they so important?


How can you tell the difference between a right-handed and left-handed coil (or helix) by looking at it?


We're here to help

contact us iconContact ustelephone icon+44 (0) 203 773 6020
Facebook logoInstagram logoLinkedIn logo

© MyTutorWeb Ltd 2013–2025

Terms & Conditions|Privacy Policy
Cookie Preferences