Osmosis And Diffusion Lab Report

544 Words2 Pages

Osmosis and diffusion are two methods which work towards levelling the concentration in the two given surfaces – the cell and the environment. Purchon defines osmosis as the movement of water from a higher concentration to a lower concentration “through a semi permeable membrane”. For instance; a red blood cell when placed in a hypertonic solution undergoes crenation as water from cell moves down the concentration gradient into the environment. Osmosis is only for water molecules while the similar movements of other particles down their concentration gradient is known as diffusion. Diffusion can happen in various mediums such as liquid and air. For example, the cologne particles when released, diffuses through the air. It is necessary to understand the purpose of osmosis and diffusion to get an idea about the importance of homeostasis in our body and how the organs systems work towards …show more content…

When there is an increased concentration of sodium ions in the blood, certain areas in the brain such as the hypothalamus and the pituitary gland gives information for release of ADH, “an anti - diuretic hormone” which in turn trigger the kidneys to “reabsorb more water to rehydrate the body” (olchs.org). This is an example of osmosis since water is the substance moving being reabsorbed into the body system to a low concentration which is the blood through various semi permeable membranes such as glomerulus and the red blood cells.
One organ system that uses diffusion as their mode of transport is the respiratory system. The respiratory system uses a blend of “the circulatory system and the process of diffusion” (olchs.org). The alveoli sacs present in the lungs allow gas exchange in and out through diffusion. Since diffusion does not require a semi permeable membrane, the alveoli sac surface serves as a freely permeable membrane by having capillaries and a mucous environment that aids in the oxygen – carbon di oxide

Open Document