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Osmosis definitions

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  • Osmosis
    Passive diffusion of water across a semipermeable membrane driven by solute concentration differences.
  • Semipermeable membrane
    A barrier that allows certain substances to pass while blocking others, crucial for osmosis.
  • Solvent
    A substance, typically water in biology, that dissolves solutes, facilitating osmosis.
  • Tonicity
    Relative concentration of solutes in solutions, affecting water movement across membranes.
  • Hypotonic
    Solution with lower solute concentration, causing water to flow into cells, potentially swelling them.
  • Isotonic
    Solution with equal solute concentration, maintaining cell size as water enters and exits equally.
  • Hypertonic
    Solution with higher solute concentration, drawing water out of cells, leading to shrinkage.
  • Turgor pressure
    Pressure exerted by water inside the cell against the cell wall, crucial for plant rigidity.
  • Cell lysis
    Bursting of a cell due to excessive water intake in hypotonic environments, common in animal cells.
  • Dehydration
    Loss of water from cells in hypertonic environments, causing shrinkage and potential cell death.
  • Biological membrane
    A semipermeable structure surrounding cells, regulating substance passage and facilitating osmosis.
  • Solute
    Substance dissolved in a solvent, determining the tonicity of a solution.
  • Water concentration
    Amount of water in a solution, inversely related to solute concentration in osmosis.
  • Cell wall
    Rigid structure in plant cells preventing lysis in hypotonic environments by maintaining shape.
  • Environmental tonicity
    External solution's solute concentration affecting cell water movement and behavior.