Osmosis Flashcards

All 5 cards in this deck

What is osmosis?

The movement of water from a dilute solution (high water concentration) to a concentrated solution (low water concentration) through a partially permeable membrane.

What happens to a plant cell placed in a concentrated salt solution?

Water moves out of the cell by osmosis, so the cytoplasm shrinks away from the cell wall (the cell becomes plasmolysed).

True or false? A red blood cell placed in a concentrated sugar solution will swell.

False. Water moves out of the cell by osmosis, so the cell shrinks.

How do guard cells make the stomata open?

The guard cells take in water by osmosis, become turgid and swell, changing shape so the stoma opens.

What is a partially permeable membrane?

A membrane that lets small molecules such as water pass through, but stops larger molecules such as starch or proteins.