ETYM New Lat.
Passage of solvent through a separating membrane between two solutions of different strengths.
Movement of solvent (usually water) through a semipermeable membrane separating solutions of different concentrations. The solvent passes from a less concentrated solution to a more concentrated solution until the two concentrations are equal. Applying external pressure to the solution on the more concentrated side arrests osmosis, and is a measure of the osmotic pressure of the solution.
Many cell membranes behave as semipermeable membranes, and osmosis is a vital mechanism in the transport of fluids in living organisms—for example, in the transport of water from the roots up the stems of plants.
Fish have kidney mechanisms to counteract the effects of osmosis fluid transport between their bodies and the surrounding water (outward in saltwater fish, inward in freshwater fish).
Diffusion of molecules through a semipermeable membrane from a place of higher concentration to a place of lower concentration until the concentration on both sides is equal. + prikaži više