The Process of Osmosis

In this figure the membrane can move to reflect shifts in the "volume" of the two compartments. In this case, as water molecules shift from one side of the membrane to the other, the volume shifts proportionately. The strip chart follows the compartment volume as it changes in time.

Use the stop button to temporally halt the progress of this simulation. Also, the number of solute particles in the right compartment can be set with the pull-down menu at the bottom. When the number of particles is very low on the right side, then the gradient for water is the strongest, and movement takes place the fastest.


This page was last updated on July 21, 1997