Osmosis, in botany and chemistry, the flow of one constituent of a solution through a membrane while the other constituents are blocked and unable to pass through the membrane. Experimentation is necessary to determine which membranes permit selective flow, or osmosis, because not all membranes act in this way. Many membranes allow all or none of the constituents of a solution to pass through; only a few allow a selective flow. In a classic demonstration …
showed first 75 words of 274 total

showed last 75 words of 274 total
…this solution than in the sugar solution. The level of liquid in the tube of sugar solution will eventually rise until the flow of water from the tube of sugar solution, under the influence of hydrostatic pressure, equals the flow of water into the tube. The hydrostatic pressure establishing this equality of flow is called osmotic pressure. A variety of physical and chemical principles is involved in the phenomenon of osmosis in animals and plants