| Term | Definition |
|---|
| diffusion | the movement of molecules from a higher to a lower concentration--that is, down their concentration gradient--until equilibrium is achieved and they are distributed equally |
| solution | contains both a solute, usually a solid, and a solvent, usually a liquid |
| solute | the dye |
| solvent | water molecules |
| osmosis | the diffusion of water across a differentially (selectively) permeable membrane due to concentration differences |
| osmotic pressure | the pressure that develops in a system due to osmosis; the greater the possible pressure, the more likely it is that the water will diffuse in that direction |
| isotonic solution | the solute concentration and the water concentration both inside and outside the cell are equal, and therefore there is no net gain or loss of water |
| tonicity | strength of the solution |
| hypotonic solution | solution that causes cells to swell, or even to burst due to an intake of water; solution with a lower concentration of solute (higher concentration of water) than inside the cell |
| turgor pressure | the swelling of a plant in a hypotonic solution; allows the plant to remain in an erect position; cell does not burst because the cell wall does not give way |
| hypertonic solution | solution that causes cells to shrivel or shrink due to loss of water; solution with a higher percentage of solute (lower concentration of water) than the cell; net movement of water is from inside to outside the cell |
| crenation | red blood cells that shrink because they are placed in a solution higher than 0.9% (which is hypertonic to red blood cells) |
| plasmolysis | the shrinking of the cytoplasm due to osmosis |
| facilitated transport | the rapid transport of water and also such molecules as glucose an amino acids across the plasma membrane; water moves through a channel protein, while the passage of glucose and amino acids is facilitated by their reversible combination with carrier proteins, which transport them through the membrane |
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