OSMOSIS

VYSYA COLLEGE, SALEM-103
CLASS: III-B.SC BIOCHEMISTRY

SUBJECT: PLANT BIOCHEMISTRY SUBJECT CODE: 20UBCE01
TOPIC: OSMOSIS UNIT: I 5
INTRODUCTION:
 The movement of water from the solution of lower concentration to the
solution of higher concentration through a semi-permeable membrane is
called osmosis.
 When two solutions of different concentrations are separated by a semi-
permeable membrane, the diffusion of solvent will take place from the less
concentrated solution into the more concentrated solution, till both the
solutions attain equal concentration.
 The semi-permeable membrane allows only solvent and not the solute
to pass through it.
 The highly concentrated solution is called hypertonic solution. The less
concentrated solution is called hypotonic solution. When the two
solutions are equally concentrated, they are called isotonic solution.
 During osmosis, solvent molecules move from the hypotonic solution to the
hypertonic solution. Osmotic diffusion of solvent molecule will not take
place, if the two solutions are isotonic.
 If a cell is placed in water, the cell sap is hypertonic and water is
hypotonic. So, water moves into the cell by osmosis. The movement of
water out of the cell is called Endosmosis.
 When the cell is placed in salt solution, the cell sap is hypotonic and the
salt solution is hypertonic. So, water moves out of the cell by osmosis. The
movement of water out of the cell is called exosmosis.
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SIGNIFICANCE OF OSMOSIS IN PLANTS:
Osmosis plays the following significant roles in plants.
 Plant roots absorb water from the soil by osmosis. Cell to cell movement of
water occurs due to osmosis.
 Opening and closing of stomata is due to osmosis.
 Normal shape of plant cells is maintained by turgidity developed in the
cells due to absorption of water by osmosis.
 Cellular turgidity is required for the germinating seedlings to come out of
the soil.
 High osmotic pressure in cells helps the plants to resist drought and cold
stress.
 Expansion of young leaves is due to high turgor pressure developed by
osmosis.
DIFFERENCES BETWEEN DIFFUSION AND OSMOSIS

Diffusion Osmosis
It is the movement of particles, It is the movement of solvent of water
molecules or ions from the region of from the area of its higher free energy
their higher free energy to the region or chemical potential to the area of its
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of their lower free energy. lower free energy or chemical potential
through a semi-permeable membrane.
It can occur in any type of medium. It occurs only in liquid medium.
The diffusing molecules may be solids, It involves the movement of solvent
liquids or gases. molecule only.
It does not require a semi-permeable A semi-permeable membrane is
membrane. required for the operation of osmosis.
It depends upon the free energy
It is purely dependent upon the free chemical potential of the solvent
energy of the diffusing substance only. present on the two sides of the semi-
permeable membrane.
Equilibrium in the free energy of
Equilibrium in the free energy of
diffusing molecules is achieved in the
solvent molecule is never achieved.
end.
Plant cell as an osmotic system:-

 Plant cell functions as an osmotic system. The plasmamembrane acts
as a semi-permeable membrane and the cell sap (Protoplasm) functions
as an osmotic solution.
 The plasma membrane is not at all semi-permeable because it allows
certain solutes to pass through it.
 Hence, it is said to be a selective permeable or differentially
permeable membrane. The membranes of vacuoles and cell organelles
also posses the same nature.
 The solvent in the case of plant cells is always water. The cell water is
permeable to water and minerals. Root hair is the first cell which absorbs
water and it acts as an osmometer.
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 If a living plant cell is placed in water, then the water is hypotonic to the
cell sap, (hypertonic). The two are separated by the plasma membrane.
So, water enters the cell sap by endosmosis. As a result of entry of the
water into the cell wall and cell becomes turgid. The pressure exerted by
the protoplasm against the cell wall is called turgor pressure (TP).
 The turgor pressure is counteracted by the wall pressure which is
developed by the elastic cell wall against the protoplasm. The pressure
exerted by the elastic cell wall or the protoplasm is celled the wall
pressure (WP).TP=WP
 If the plant cell is placed in hypertonic solution, water comes out of the
cell sap by exosmosis. As a result the cell becomes flaccid. The
protoplasm becomes contracted is called plasmolysis.
 If the plant cell is kept in isotonic solution whose concentration is equal
to that of the cell sap, it becomes neither turgid nor flaccid. The cell will
remain as such in the isotonic solution.

OSMOSIS

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OSMOSIS

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VYSYA COLLEGE, SALEM-103

CLASS: III-B.SC BIOCHEMISTRY

DIFFERENCES BETWEEN DIFFUSION AND OSMOSIS

Plant cell as an osmotic system:-

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