Question

Define the following
(i) Osmosis
(ii) Diffusion
(iii) Turgor pressure
(iv) Hypertonic solution
(v) Plasmolysis

Answer 1

(i) Osmosis: It is the movement of a solvent from a region of higher concentration to a region of lower concentration through a semi-permeable membrane.

(ii) Diffusion: It is the movement of a solute from a region of higher concentration to a region of lower concentration without the involvement of any membrane or any other obstruction.

(iii) Turgor pressure: The pressure developed by a solution in a plant cell, against the cell wall, as a result of endosmosis, is called turgor pressure.

(iv) Hypertonic solution: It is a solution that has a higher concentration of the solute compared with the cell sap.

(v) Plasmolysis: When a cell is placed in a hypertonic solution, water moves out, first from the cytoplasm and then from the vacuole. The cell membrane shrinks away from the cell wall. This is known as plasmolysis.