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…
attaining stability. Osmosis is used by the kidneys and the endocrine system.
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
exchange. Osmosis and diffusion has a vital role in preserving a stable condition in the human body. However, there are also some harmful effects that occur in rare cases since more people suffer from dehydration due to water shortage and unavailability of contaminated water. One such case is known as hyponatremia which is fatal enough to kill a person. According to DiLonardo, hyponatremia can be explained as “drinking excess amount” of water at a short lapse of time can bring down the necessary electrolyte concentration balance. Osmosis and diffusion have a variety of real life application especially in the medical field and one such application of osmosis is observed in hemodialysis otherwise known as kidney dialysis. This is a process which is used by people suffering from malfunctioning kidneys. This dialysis uses osmosis as its method to do the chores of a normal kidney. The membranes used in the dialysis process are semi permeable which allows the passage of “water, salts and metabolites” in other words, small molecules (Cloe). The blood is taken in medium quantities and passed through this membrane which contains the dialysis solution which gets rid of the metabolites and extra electrolytes. Hemodialysis uses osmosis to not only replace the function of kidneys but also to clear the blood of all impurities and restore homeostasis.
Vital to maintenance of homeostasis is the regulation of plasma osmolality. The Renin-Angiotensin-Aldosterone system, which works to regulate blood pressure, plays a crucial role in fluid balance. When dehydration occurs, blood osmolality increases, which stimulates the release of antidiuretic hormone (ADH), ultimately leading to increased water reabsorption. This leads to more concentrated urine, and less concentrated plasma. Low plasma osmolality works in the opposite fashion: ADH release is inhibited, water reabsorption decreases, and urine is less concentrated. The added electrolytes and carbohydrates in Gatorade would facilitate greater fluid retention through stimulation of renin and vasopressin, increasing urinary sodium reabsorption (3). Studies of both urine volume and plasma volume changes are eff...
Specifically for the lab discussed we were to determine whether sucrose of RO H20 was of higher or lower concentration. We were able to determine permeable membranes were depending on the concentration of the solution or solvent. In this case we learned that solution and solvents of lower concentration allow for greater flow through the semi-permeable membrane, which supports the idea of diffusion. We learned that sucrose solution allowed for greater diffusion than RO H20. Also chloride ions and aluminum allowed for diffusion whereas starch and sulfate ions did not. We also learned Elodea in NaCl solution underwent a process called plasmolysis where the cells
Osmosis and Diffusion Investigation Aim: To examine the process of osmosis and diffusion. Part A: Step 1: Q1.[IMAGE] Q2. The jiggling motion is visible because the fat globules are constantly being bombarded by smaller particles. [IMAGE] Q3.
Osmosis in Potato Tubes Osmosis: Osmosis is the movement of water molecules through a semi-permeable membrane from a high concentration to a low concentration. Diagram: [IMAGE] [IMAGE] Aim: To see the effects of different concentration of sugar solution on Osmosis in potato tubes. Key factor: In the investigation we change the sugar solution from: 0%-10%-20%-30%-40%-50% this is the independent variable; the dependant variable is the change in mass. Prediction: I predict that all the potato tubes in pure water or low concentration sugar solution will swell because water enters their cells by osmosis.
Activity 3: Investigating Osmosis and Diffusion Through Nonliving Membranes. In this activity, through the use of dialysis sacs and varying concentrations of solutions, the movement of water and solutes will be observed through a semipermeable membrane. The gradients at which the solutes NaCl and glucose diffuse is unproportional to any other molecule, therefore they will proceed down their own gradients. However, the same is not true for water, whose concentration gradient is affected by solute ...
The purpose of this lab was to see firsthand the diffusion of a substance across a selectively permeable membrane. Diffusion is the movement of molecules from an area of high concentration to an area of lower concentration until both concentrations are equal, or as you could more professionally call it, equilibrium. This concept is one that we have been studying in depth currently in Biology class.
Glucose is the primary source of energy for the cells and consequently is necessary for all cellular functions that require energy. Facilitated diffusion plays a significant role in the management of concentrations of glucose, both intracellular and extracellular, providing a balance of glucose in the cells that when poorly utilized upsets the body’s homeostasis.
Most cell membranes are like that, being permeable to water and some solutes only. Osmosis is therefore the diffusion of water through a partially permeable membrane. The basic principles of diffusion apply here.
Osmosis is the net movement of water molecules from a region where there is a higher concentration of water molecules to the region where there is lower concentration of water molecules. The water molecues move through a partially permeable membrane, which allows the smaller molecules to pass but not the big ones. The diffusion of molecules from the region of higher concentration to the region of lower concentration until the concentration of water molecules has become same in both the areas.
Diffusion can be categorized as either simple diffusion or facilitated diffusion. A similarity between simple and facilitated diffusion is that they are both passive processes and travel from areas of higher concentration to region of lower concentration. Simple diffusion only takes place through a phospholipid bilayer and occurs only for non-polar and small...
One mechanism utilized for passive transport is diffusion. When the concentration of particles is higher in area the particles diffuse to an area of lower concentration from the constant motion of particles. The rate of diffusion can increase when the temperature of the solution is increased because this causes the motion of molecules to increase. Another mechanism utilized in passive transport is osmosis. Osmosis occurs when water moves to an area of higher concentration to equalize the concentration between the cell membranes. Osmotic pressure is the power a solution has to draw water across the membrane. The higher concentration has more osmotic pressure and draws water across the membrane. In the extracellular compartment, oncotic pressure pulls water from the interstitial compartment to the intravascular compartment to equalize the concentrations and maintain volume in the vascular system. Lastly, filtration is utilized to move fluid and particles together across the membrane. Filtration takes place from a higher pressure to lower pressure. Hydrostatic pressure is the pressure a fluid uses to force fluid from greater pressure to an area of less
Osmosis is the process of water diffusing through a partially permeable cell membrane. Osmosis occurs when one side of the membrane has a different concentration of water, and the water molecules move through the membrane to a less concentrated area until equilibrium occurs. Equilibrium is the outcome of osmosis, when equal concentration of water occurs on both sides of the cell membrane. There are three tonicities, or ways in which osmosis can travel. A hypotonic tonicity is when the concentration of water is higher inside the cell membrane, which causes the cell(s) to lose in mass from water diffusing out of the membrane. A hypertonic tonicity is the opposite, where the water concentration inside the cell membrane is lower than the concentration of the solution outside of the membrane, causing the cell(s) to gain in mass and the solution outside of the cell membrane to diffuse water. Isotonic tonicity is when both sides of the cell membrane have the same concentration of water, and diffusion will not occur.
Fluid is a major component of our body and serves a vital role in our health and in normal cellular functions by serving as a medium for metabolic reactions in the cell. Fluid also moves nutrients into the body by the digestive system and moves waste products out of the body by way of the kidneys. Extracellular and intracellular fluids contain solutes such as dissolved nutrients, waste products and charged particles called electrolytes. Fluid and electrolytes play a vital role in homeostasis, which is the ability of the body (or cell) to maintain a relatively constant internal environment when dealing with external changes. Homeostasis must exist for the cells to function properly and the maintenance of fluid and electrolyte balances are necessary for homeostasis. To maintain homeostasis, ions move between the extracellular and intracellular fluid compartments through selectively permeable membranes by a variety of methods such as
The cell has many different structures that carry out different instructions that are needed for the body to function. One of the many structures is the plasma membrane. The plasma membrane acts as a door that allows molecules to enter the cell. However, this membrane is selectively permeable, which means that it gives and prevents access certain molecules. Molecules travel regularly across the cell and some of these molecules are actively transported through the membrane. This is called active transport. Active transport is the transportation of particles against their concentration gradient with cellular energy. On contrary to active transport, diffusion and osmosis occur. These are passive transport. Passive transport is movement down the concentration gradient, moves from a high concentration to a low concentration, and does not require cellular energy. A gradient is anything that is distributed unevenly. Diffusion is the movement of dissolved particles from a high concentration to a lower concentration (Bres and Weishar 61). Osmosis is a type of diffusion. Osmosis is the movement of water from an area of a high concentration to a lower concentration (Campbell, Dickey, Reece and Simon 84). Osmosis and diffusion get rid of wastes and supply the cells with needed nutrients.
Osmoregulation is the process in which our cells are protected by our water balance. This is controlled by the water loss from