-
DE
Osmosis is the transport of water through a semi-permeable membrane. Find out how this process is used in biology, technology and medicine.
Osmosis is the transport of water through a semi-permeable membrane. Find out how this process is used in biology, technology and medicine.
Osmosis is a physical-chemical process in which water or other solvents migrate through a semi-permeable membrane from a solution with a lower concentration to a solution with a higher concentration. This process equalises concentration differences between two liquids and plays an essential role in biological, chemical and technical applications.
In biological systems, osmosis is crucial for cell metabolism, the regulation of the water balance and the transport of nutrients. Examples of biological osmosis are:
Osmosis is used in many technical and industrial areas:
Osmotic pressure is the force created by the movement of the solvent. If this pressure is disturbed in biological systems, cell shrinkage (plasmolysis) or cell swelling (cytolysis) can occur.
Osmosis is therefore a fundamental mechanism that plays a central role both in nature and in technical processes.