Friday, March 20, 2009

Osmotic Pressure (OP). This is an older term used to describe osmosis. The more concentrated a solution, the higher the osmotic pressure. It; therefore, means the opposite to water potential, and so water move from a low to a high OP.
Cells and Osmosis. The concentration (or OP) of the solution that surrounds a cell will affect the state of the cell, due to osmosis. There are three possible concentrations of solution to consider:
  • Isotonic solution a solution of equal OP (or concentration) to a cell
  • Hypertonic solution a solution of higher OP (or concentration) than a cell
  • Hypotonic solution a solution of lower OP (or concentration) than a cell


The effects of these solutions on cells are shown in following diagram:

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