Differences Between Osmosis and Diffusion

Gummy candy

Dr. Helmenstine holds a Ph.D. in biomedical sciences and is a science writer, educator, and consultant. She has taught science courses at the high school, college, and graduate levels.

Updated on July 23, 2024

Students are often asked to explain the similarities and differences between osmosis and diffusion or to compare and contrast the two forms of transport. To answer the question, you need to know the definitions of osmosis and diffusion and understand what they mean.

Definitions of Osmosis and Diffusion

Osmosis: Osmosis is the movement of solvent particles across a semipermeable membrane from a dilute solution into a concentrated solution. The solvent moves to dilute the concentrated solution and equalize the concentration on both sides of the membrane.
Diffusion: Diffusion is the movement of particles from an area of higher concentration to lower concentration. The overall effect is to equalize concentration throughout the medium.

Examples of Osmosis and Diffusion

Examples of Osmosis: Examples include red blood cells swelling up when exposed to freshwater and plant root hairs taking up water. To see an easy demonstration of osmosis, soak gummy candies in water. The gel of the candies acts as a semipermeable membrane.
Examples of Diffusion:Examples of diffusion include the scent of perfume filling a whole room and the movement of small molecules across a cell membrane. One of the simplest demonstrations of diffusion is adding a drop of food coloring to water. Although other transport processes do occur, diffusion is the key player.

Similarities of Osmosis and Diffusion

Osmosis and diffusion are related processes that display similarities:

Both osmosis and diffusion equalize the concentration of two solutions.
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.

Differences between Osmosis and Diffusion

What are the differences between osmosis and diffusion?

Diffusion can occur in any mixture, including one that includes a semipermeable membrane, while osmosis always occurs across a semipermeable membrane.
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. In biology, this is a difference between osmosis and diffusion.
One big difference is that both solvent and solute particles are free to move in diffusion, but in osmosis, only the solvent molecules (water molecules) cross the membrane. This can be confusing because while the solvent particles are moving from higher to lower solvent concentration across the membrane, they are moving from lower to higher soluteconcentration, or 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.

The Differences Between Osmosis and Diffusion
Diffusion	Osmosis
Any type of substance moves from an area of highest energy or concentration to a 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 occurs only in a liquid medium.
Diffusion does not require a semipermeable membrane.	Osmosis requires a semipermeable membrane.
The concentration of the diffusion substance equalizes to fill the available space.	The concentration of the solvent does not become equal on both sides of the membrane.
Hydrostatic pressure and turgor pressure do not normally apply to diffusion.	Hydrostatic pressure and turgor pressure oppose osmosis.
Diffusion does not depend on solute potential, pressure potential, or water potential.	Osmosis 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 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.

Key Points

Facts to remember about diffusion and osmosis:

Diffusion and osmosis are both passive transport processes that act to equalize the concentration of a solution.
In diffusion, particles move from an area of higher concentration to one of lower concentration until equilibrium is reached. In osmosis, a semipermeable membrane is present, so only the solvent molecules are free to move to equalize concentration.

Cite this Article Your Citation

Helmenstine, Anne Marie, Ph.D. "Differences Between Osmosis and Diffusion." ThoughtCo, Jul. 23, 2024, thoughtco.com/difference-between-osmosis-and-diffusion-609191. Helmenstine, Anne Marie, Ph.D. (2024, July 23). Differences Between Osmosis and Diffusion. Retrieved from https://www.thoughtco.com/difference-between-osmosis-and-diffusion-609191 Helmenstine, Anne Marie, Ph.D. "Differences Between Osmosis and Diffusion." ThoughtCo. https://www.thoughtco.com/difference-between-osmosis-and-diffusion-609191 (accessed September 6, 2024).

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