Biological Osmosis
The osmosis experiment demonstrated that water flows uphill through a membrane from the pure water side into the wine. A large pressure applied to the wine stopped the flow of water into the wine. Later experiments showed that a sugar water solution could replace the wine. This led to Van’t Hoff’s theory for osmosis that …. Read More
My Tree Leaks
My Tree Leaks This year, I discovered that my maple tree leaks. A wet spot appeared on the sidewalk near the base of the tree. The weather was below freezing at night and warmer in the day. The tree trunk remained below freezing during the day. As noted in the maple syrup discussion, we proposed: …. Read More
Our Amazing Kidneys
We have proposed that osmosis is directly related to vapor pressure and that free vapor molecules exist in liquids and solids. The quantity of these free molecules is in proportion to the vapor pressure value. The net flow of free molecules through a porous membrane is the called osmosis. Flow through porous membranes may also …. Read More
Me and My Celery
Me and My Celery…… Recently I decided to have a celery snack. The celery from my refrigerator was not crisp, it was limp. After finding my “how to do everything in the kitchen” book, I soaked the celery in freshwater overnight. The next morning it was crisp. WHY does the celery become crisp after soaking …. Read More
Osmosis in living organisms
Osmosis is the mechanism for transferring fluids and nutrients across membranes. It occurs in plants and animals and maintains the proper balance between extracellular and intracellular fluids. Although osmotic pressure is measured in the laboratory and has been referred to as a driving force for osmosis Osmotic pressure only occurs in laboratory experiments and calculations. …. Read More
Molecular Theory Application to Biology
We have introduced a molecular model for osmosis and have shown that free molecules exist in liquids and solids. The number of free molecules is directly related to vapor pressure and the temperature of the substance. From the osmosis experiment we find that water moves from the pure waterside (higher vapor pressure) through the membrane …. Read More
Membranes
A membrane is a soft pliable sheet made from plant, animal, or a man-made Material. Membranes can be described as permeable or semi permeable. Semipermeable means that some materials can pass through the membrane but other materials cannot. The osmosis experiment is a prominent example of a semipermeable membrane. Water and wine were separated by …. Read More