Question

Differentiate between

Imbibition and diffusion

Answer 1

1. Imbibition is a process in which water is adsorbed by solid particles in the form of living or dead cells by surface attraction.
2. Diffusion means the movement of molecules or ions in a random fashion from the region of higher concentration to lower concentration.

Imbibition	Diffusion
The water or solvent adsorption takes place on a solid substance.	The movement of molecules or ions from the region of higher concentration to lower concentration.
The molecules of water or solvent are adsorbed by the hydrophilic (water loving) substances such as cellulose, starch, proteins, etc.	The diffused molecules or ions get uniformly distributed throughout the available space.
The imbibant (adsorbing surface) swells up but is less as compared to the volume of imbibate (liquid).	No change in volume is observed.