Fig. 4B: Osmosis Salt Solution

When an ionic solute such as NaCl dissolves in water, the Na+ ion attracts the partial negative charge of the oxygen atom in the water molecule while the Cl- ion attracts the partial positive charge of the warter's hydrogen. While free, unbound water molecules are small enough to pass through the membrane and through membrane pores, water molecules bound to solute are not.

Illustration of Free Water and Water Bound to Salt in a Solution.jpg by Gary E. Kaiser, Ph.D.
Professor of Microbiology, The Community College of Baltimore County, Catonsville Campus
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
Based on a work at https://cwoer.ccbcmd.edu/science/microbiology/index_gos.html.

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Last updated: Feb., 2021
Please send comments and inquiries to Dr. Gary Kaiser