Osmosis and Diffusion

 Movement through Cell Membranes

◦ Selective permeability of membranes surrounding
the cells and within the cells.
◦ Definition of the terms “diffusion” and “osmosis”.
Examples of each.
◦ Describe the application of high salt or sugar
concentration in food preservation.
◦ Definition of “turgor”. Simple explanation of
turgidity in plant cells.
 Selectively Permeable  Hypertonic Solution

 Diffusion  Hypotonic Solution

 Active Transport  Osmoregulation

 Osmosis  Turgor

 Isotonic Solution  Plasmolysis

 Membranes can be:
◦ Permeable – allows all substances in and out.

◦ Semi/Selectively Permeable – allows some

substances in and out.

◦ Impermeable – does not allow substances to move

through it.
 Substances move in and out of cells in two
ways:
◦ Diffusion is the movement of molecules from areas
of high concentration to areas of lower
concentration.
 Diffusion is a passive process.

◦ Active Transport is the movement of molecules

from areas of low concentration to areas of higher
concentration.
 Active transport requires energy.
 Examples of diffusion include:
◦ The smell of perfume.
◦ Food colouring in water.
◦ Sugar in tea.
◦ Diffusion of gases in leaves/animal cells.
 Osmosis is the movement of water from an
area of high water concentration to an area of
lower water concentration across a semi-
permeable membrane.

 Note: The higher the solute concentration the

lower the water concentration and vice versa.

 Osmosis is a special type of diffusion and is

passive.
 Animal cells are enclosed only by a cell
membrane.

 Isotonic means two solutions have the same

solute concentration.

 If an animal cell is surrounded by an isotonic

solution water will move in and out at the
same rate and the cell will remain intact.
 Our kidneys make sure the fluid in our bodies
that surrounds our cells (plasma) has a stable
concentration.

 This process is called osmoregulation.

 Many animals that live in the sea have

cytoplasm with similar concentration to sea
water.
 Hypotonic means a solution has a lower
solute concentration than another solution.

 If an animal cell is surrounded by a hypotonic

solution water will move into the cell and may
cause it to burst.
 An Amoeba is a single-celled organism that
lives in freshwater pools and ponds.
 The cytoplasm of the Amoeba is more
concentrated than the water surrounding it,
this means that Amoeba must have a way of
controlling osmosis or it will burst.
 Amoeba contain a contractile vacuole which
expels water.
 Amoeba species that live in seawater don’t
have this contractile vacuole as the seawater
has the same concentration as their
cytoplasm.
 Hypertonic means a solution has a higher
solute concentration than another solution.

 If an animal cell is surrounded by a

hypertonic solution water will move out of the
cell and may cause it to shrivel up and die.
 Plants have a cell wall which surrounds their
membrane.

 The cell wall is fully permeable and will allow

all substances in and out of the cell.

 If a plant cell is surrounded by a less

concentrated solution then water will move
into the cytoplasm and vacuole of plant cells.
This is how roots absorb water (osmosis).
 When water enters the plant cell the vacuole
and cytoplasm swell.

 This causes the membrane to be pushed out

towards the cell wall.

 When cells are fully ‘swelled’ like this they are

said to be turgid.
 Turgor, or turgor pressure, is the pressure of
the cytoplasm and vacuole against the cell
wall of a plant.
 This turgor pressure gives plants their
strength.

 Plants would wilt without this turgor

pressure.

 Non-woody plants, such as lettuce and house

plants, rely on turgor pressure for strength
and support.
 If a plant cell is surrounded by a more
concentrated solution then water will move
out of the cytoplasm and vacuole of plant
cells.

 When this happens the cell wall stays intact

but the membrane shrivels away from it.

 Cells in this condition are called plasmolysed

cells.
 Plasmolysis is the loss of water from the
cytoplasm and the movement of the
membrane away from the cell wall.
 We can easily see plasmolysis in red onion
cells left in a salt solution.
 Osmosis is often used to prevent
microorganisms such as bacteria and fungi
from growing on food.

 If foods are placed in a sugary or salty

solution then any bacteria or fungi present
will lose the water from their cells and they
will shrivel and die.
◦ This prevents food spoilage.
 Examples of food preservation using osmosis
include:
◦ Fish and meat (bacon) being soaked in a salty
solution.
◦ Jams, marmalades and tinned fruit being stored in a
sugary solution.
 Active transport uses energy to take
chemicals into a cell against the
concentration gradient i.e. from a low
concentration to a high concentration.
 Proteins in the cell membrane undertake
active transport.