What is osmotic pressure in biology?

In any system, osmotic pressure is the amount of force applied to the semipermeable membrane in order to stop water from entering through the semipermeable membrane.

Because the cell membrane is selective toward many of the solutes found in living creatures, osmotic pressure is crucial to biology.

A cell shrinks and loses its turgidity when it is submerged in a hypertonic solution because water really leaks from the cell into the surrounding solution. Antimicrobial control is accomplished using hypertonic solutions. Commonly employed as food preservatives, salt and sugar are used to create a hypertonic environment for bacteria.

It can also be defined as the minimum pressure required to nullify the osmosis process. Osmotic pressure arises in any system so that pure solvent can move through a semipermeable membrane and into a solution containing a solute to which the membrane is impermeable. This process is vital in biology as the cell’s membrane is selective toward many of the solutes found in living organisms.

Osmotic pressure is dependent on some of the properties of solutions, known as colligative properties. These colligative properties include boiling point elevation, freezing point depression, and vapor pressure depression, all caused by dissolving solutes in a solution. The osmolarity is often determined from vapor pressure depression or freezing point depression rather than from direct osmotic pressure measurements. The osmolarity is the concentration necessary to observe these phenomena.

FAQs on What is osmotic pressure in biology?

Q. What is the definition of osmotic pressure in biology?

Ans. Osmotic pressure is the amount of force applied to the semipermeable membrane in order to stop water from entering through a semipermeable membrane.

Q. Osmotic pressure is dependent on which properties?

Ans. Osmotic pressure is dependent on some of the properties of solutions, known as colligative properties. These colligative properties are boiling point elevation, freezing point depression, and vapor pressure depression.