Osmotic

Osmotic pressure is the minimum pressure which needs to be applied to a solution to prevent the inward flow of its pure solvent across a semipermeable membrane. It is also defined as the measure of the tendency of a solution to take in a pure solvent by osmosis. Pure solvent is drawn into the solution until the osmotic pressure is counteracted by the hydrostatic pressure of the accumulated solvent.

Overview

Osmotic pressure is a colligative property, meaning that the property depends on the concentration of the solute but not on its identity. Osmotic pressure is dependent on the molarity of the solution and the temperature. The formula for osmotic pressure is:

Π = iMRT

where:

• Π is the osmotic pressure,
• i is the dimensionless van 't Hoff factor,
• M is the molarity,
• R is the ideal gas constant, and
• T is the absolute temperature.

Applications

Osmotic pressure has several real-world applications, including in medicine and biology. For example, it is used in kidney dialysis and reverse osmosis. In plants, osmotic pressure helps to keep water in the cells and tissues, maintaining turgor pressure.

See also

• Van 't Hoff factor
• Colligative properties
• Semipermeable membrane
• Reverse osmosis
• Kidney dialysis
• Turgor pressure

References

Osmotic Resources
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