Osmotic pressure is referring to the amount of pressure that would be required to prevent the process of osmosis from happening. To be clear, osmosis is the process where a liquid passes through a semi-permeable membrane.
Osmotic pressure can be defined as the minimum pressure that must be applied to a solution to halt the flow of solvent molecules through a semipermeable membrane.
Osmosis is the process of liquid passing through a semipermeable membrane while osmotic pressure is a value that is connected to the process of osmosis.
The osmotic pressure of the human body depends on the temperature, let's say it is 37 degrees Celsius, the average osmotic pressure of a person's blood would then be 7.8 bar.
According to Britannica online, osmotic pressure can be leveraged to kill cells or reduce microbial contamination. For example, high concentrations of salts of sugars in foods create a hypertonic environment (such as pickles or jams), which dehydrates microorganisms and helps preserve food for an extended period of time.
Create Date: October 16, 2024
Last Modified Date: October 16, 2024
