I’m a med student so I know the basics, but how does it really work? Like, if a cell has a high [Na+] and the environment has a low [Na+] how is it possibly entropically favorable for water to press against the cell walls and expand the cell, which would definitely require energy to combat the resting force of the cell Wall’s elasticity. Is this even considered an entropic force?
In: Physics
Water molecules are always passing back and forth though the membrane, however if there is a higher concentration inside, some of the water molecules will be attracted to the solute particles and will have a harder time going back
This will result in a net increase of water inside the cell, however pressure will build up, and eventually that pressure becomes strong enough to counteract the osmosis effect, reaching equilibrium
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