Questions 1) a) Explain the process of diffusion in your own words. Use a diagram to help. b) Explain the process of osmosis in your own words. Use a diagram to help.
a) Diffusion is the movement of particles from an area of higher concentration to an area of lower concentration. It occurs due to the random movement of particles. The particles move down their concentration gradient until they are evenly distributed. This process does not require any energy input and continues until equilibrium is reached.
In the diagram, we can imagine a container with a dividing barrier called a semi-permeable membrane. The membrane allows the smaller particles to pass through but restricts the movement of larger particles. Initially, the particles are concentrated on one side of the membrane. As the particles randomly move, some will pass through the membrane to the other side, while others will come back. This process continues until the particles are evenly distributed on both sides of the membrane.
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| Higher concentration | | Lower concentration |
|__________________| |__________________|
Membrane Membrane
b) Osmosis is the movement of water molecules across a selectively permeable membrane from an area of lower solute concentration to an area of higher solute concentration. The process occurs to equalize the concentration of solute on both sides of the membrane.
In the diagram, we can picture a container divided into two compartments by a semi-permeable membrane. One compartment has a higher solute concentration, while the other has a lower solute concentration. Since water molecules can freely pass through the membrane, they will move from the side with lower solute concentration to the side with higher solute concentration. This movement will continue until the solute concentration is the same on both sides of the membrane.
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| Higher solute | | Lower solute |
| concentration | | concentration |
| (less water) | | (more water) |
|___________________| |_________________|
Membrane Membrane