wein.plus
Attention
You are using an old browser that may not function as expected.
For a better, safer browsing experience, please upgrade your browser.

Log in Become a Member

Reverse osmosis

See under osmosis.

The passage of liquid through a semi-permeable partition, for example clay or parchment paper or cell walls in living organisms, which separates two liquids of different concentrations. Osmosis also plays a major role in metabolism. The phenomenon was discovered by the Danish chemist Jacobus Hoff (1852-1911) in 1874. This partition (also known as a diaphragm) is only permeable to the molecules of a liquid (e.g. water), but not to the dissolved substance (e.g. sugar molecules) due to the corresponding pore size. Diffusion (flowing apart) takes place towards the concentrated solution. If a container-1 (with a semi-permeable outer wall) with a highly concentrated solution (e.g. sugar water) is placed in a container-2 with pure water so that there is an equal liquid level in both containers, then the water molecules migrate towards container-1.

Osmose - Schema

The water molecules are "sucked in", so to speak, because there are fewer water molecules there. The level in container 1 rises (limit value) until the...

Voices of our members

Hans-Georg Schwarz

As honorary chairman of the Domäne Wachau, it is the easiest and quickest way for me to access the wein.plus encyclopaedia when I have questions. The certainty of receiving well-founded and up-to-date information here makes it an indispensable guide.

Hans-Georg Schwarz
Ehrenobmann der Domäne Wachau (Wachau)

The world's largest Lexicon of wine terms.

26,379 Keywords · 46,983 Synonyms · 5,323 Translations · 31,713 Pronunciations · 202,091 Cross-references
made with by our author Norbert F. J. Tischelmayer. About the Lexicon

EVENTS NEAR YOU

PREMIUM PARTNERS