Professional Documents
Culture Documents
By
Mateo Estrada
Pablo Martinez
Catalysis
What is catalysis?
Homogeneous Catalysts
They are catalysts which exist in the same phase as the
reactants. If the reactants were gaseous, then such
catalyst would also be gaseous (saying). Remember that
part where I said catalysts don't get used up? I lied. They
do get used up, it is just that they reform at the end again
so it looks like they are not being used up at all. Here is
an example of a homogeneous catalyst in action.
-Hydrogen peroxide decomposes into water and oxygen
gas.
Heterogeneous catalysts
They are catalysts which exist in a different phase than
the reactants. If the reactants were gaseous, then such
catalyst would not be gaseous. It could be, say a solid.
These catalysts work by the principle of Adsorption (not
absorption). Adsorption would be adhesion of something
onto a surface. We can take example of the
hydrogenation process, which hydrogenates (add
hydrogen) to an alkene to form an alkane.
Osmosis
Is the Passage of a solvent (such as water) from a lowerconcentration solution to a higher-concentration solution,
through a semi-permeable membrane (that allows the
solvent to pass but not what is dissolved in it) separating
the two solutions. The flow of solvent stops when both
solutions become equal in concentration. In nature,
osmosis is an essential process by means of which
nutrients are delivered to the cells. Osmosis is the
spontaneous net movement of solvent molecules through
a semi-permeable membrane into a region of higher
solute concentration, in the direction that tends to
equalize the solute concentrations on the two sides. It
may also be used to describe a physical process in
which any solvent moves across a semipermeable
membrane (permeable to the solvent, but not the solute)
separating two solutions of different concentrations.
Osmosis can be made to do work.
The osmosis in our lives
Osmosis is very important in biology. A cell is surrounded
by a semipermeable membrane. Normally inside it has
more concentration of large molecules outside, so the
water can flow from the outside to the inside. It is the way
that cells have to drink (pinocytosis).
An applesauce left elements decays in a few days due to
bacteria. If you add too much sugar to the puree (sauce),
will remain bacteria, but as much sugar, outside the
Osmotic pressure
Osmotic pressure is defined as the external pressure
required to be applied so that there is no net movement
of solvent across the membrane. Osmotic pressure is a
colligative property, meaning that the osmotic pressure
depends on the molar concentration of the solute but not
on its identity.
Importance of osmosis
Osmosis and dialysis are of prime importance in living
organisms, where they influence the distribution of
nutrients and the release of metabolic waste products.
Living cells of both plants and animals are enclosed by a
semipermeable membrane called the cell membrane,
which regulates the flow of liquids and of dissolved solids
and gases into and out of the cell. The membrane forms
a selective barrier between the cell and its environment;
not all substances can pass through the membrane with
equal facility. Without this selectivity, the substances
necessary to the life of the cell would diffuse uniformly
into the cell's surroundings, and toxic materials from the
surroundings would enter the cell.
If blood cells (or other cells) are placed in contact with an
isotonic solution, they will neither shrink nor swell. If the
Hydrolysis
What is hydrolysis?
Hydrolysis is a chemical reaction of water with a
substance. Among the substances that can undergo this
reaction are numerous salts which, when dissolved in
water, its constituent ions combine with H3O + and OH-,
from the dissociation of water. This results in a shift of
equilibrium dissociation of water and consequently
modifies the ph.