What Is the Difference Between Osmosis and Diffusion?

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What Is the Difference Between Osmosis and Diffusion?
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You can use gummy candy to demonstrate how osmosis works.
You can use gummy candy to demonstrate how osmosis works. Water travels from an
area of high water density through the gelatin to an area of low water density,
swelling the candy. Martin Leigh, Getty Images
by Anne Marie Helmenstine, Ph.D.
Updated March 06, 2017
Question: What is the difference between osmosis and diffusion? Compare and
contrast the two forms of transport.

Answer: Both diffusion and osmosis are passive transport processes, which means
they do not require any input of extra energy to occur. In both diffusion and
osmosis, particles move from an area of higher concentration to one of lower
concentration.

Diffusion can occur in any mixture, including one which includes a semipermeable
membrane, while osmosis always occurs across a semipermeable membrane.

One big difference between osmosis and diffusion is that both solvent and solute
particles are free to move in diffusion, but when we talk about osmosis, only the
solvent molecules (water molecules) cross the membrane. This can be confusing to
understand because while the solvent particles are moving from higher to lower
solvent concentration across the membrane, they are moving from lower to higher
solute concentration (from a more dilute solution to a region of more concentrated
solution). This occurs naturally because the system seeks balance or equilibrium.
If the solute particles can't cross a barrier, the only way to equalize
concentration on both sides of the membrane is for the solvent particles to move
in. You can consider osmosis to be a special case of diffusion in which diffusion
occurs across a semipermeable membrane and only the water or other solvent moves.

When people discuss osmosis in biology, it always refers to the movement of water.

In chemistry, it's possible for other solvents to be involved.

Examples of Diffusion: perfume filling a whole room, a drop of food coloring

spreading out to uniformly color a cup of water, movement of small molecules across
a cell membrane

Examples of Osmosis: red blood cells swelling up when exposed to fresh water, plant
root hairs uptake water via osmosis

DIFFUSION VERSUS OSMOSIS

Any type of substance moves from area of highest energy or concentration to region
of lowest energy or concentration.Only water or another solvent moves from a region
of high energy or concentration to a region of lower energy or
concentration.Diffusion can occur in any medium, whether it is liquid, solid, or
gas.Osmosis only occurs in a liquid medium.Diffusion does not require a
semipermeable membrane.Osmosis requires a semipermeable membrane.Concentration of
the diffusion substance equalizes to fill the available space.Concentration of
solvent does not become equal on both sides of the membrane.Hydrostatic pressure
and turgor pressure to not normally apply to diffusion.Hydrostatic pressure and
turgor pressure oppose osmosis.Does not depend on solute potential, pressure
potential, or water potential.Depends on solute potential.Diffusion mainly depends
on the presence of other particles.Osmosis mainly depends on the number of solute
particles dissolved in the solvent.Diffusion is a passive process.Osmosis is also a
passive process.The movement in diffusion is to equalize concentration (energy)
throughout the system.The movement in osmosis seeks to equalize solvent
concentration (although it does not achieve this).

See Examples of Diffusion

Reverse osmosis can be used to purify water.

What Reverse Osmosis Is and How It Works
You can use gummy bears to demonstrate how osmosis works.
Use Candy To Demonstrate Osmosis
Diffusion
What Is Diffusion?
Diffusion is a natural mass transport mechanism that moves matter from area of high
concentration to those of low concentration.
Understand What Diffusion Is (and Isn't) in Chemistry
Digital illustration showing water travelling from less concentrated solution
through semi-permeable membrane to more concentrated solution during osmosis
Compare and Contrast Active and Passive Transport
This diagram shows effusion (left) and diffusion (right).
Understand the Difference Between Diffusion and Effusion
Here is how osmosis affects red blood cells in hypertonic, isotonic, and hypotonic
solutions.
Understand Osmotic Pressure and Tonicity
Tree Leaf Vein
Cellular process of turgidity essential for a tree's life.
Molarity and molality are two common ways to express concentration of chemical
solutions.
What is the Difference Between Molarity and Molality?
The cell membrane is an example of a selectively permeable membrane.
What Selectively Permeable Means (With Examples)
475158099.jpg
What Are Prokaryotes and Eukaryotes?
Passive Diffusion
Diffusion: Passive Transport and Facilitated Diffusion
Osmoregulation is the mechanism of controlling osmotic pressure in an organism.
Water crosses a semipermeable membrane to change the concentration of solute
molecules.
Understand How Osmoregulation Works
Illustrated world map of people enjoying having fun
How Does Culture Spread Around the World?
This is the diffusion of dye on a liquid. Dye moves from highest concentration to
lowest concentration until it is evenly distributed throughout the liquid.
Here Are Examples of Diffusion
The SEM photo shows healthy and crenated red blood cells. Crenation occurs when the
cell is exposed to a hypertonic solution.
What Is Does Hypertonic Mean?
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