Osmolarity, Osmosis, and Tonicity of Solutions

Osmosis and Tonicity

•The body is mostly water

•Total body water•Age and sex influence the total body water content

•Less variation of water between compartments

Osmosis is the movement of water across a membrane

–Occurs in response to a solute concentration gradients

–Movement through the membrane, aquaporins, and water-filled ion channels

Tonicity Describes the Volume Change of a Cell

Osmolarity: Describes the Number of Particles in Solution; the concentration