2012/07/17 by Eric M. Kramer, David R. Myers · 1 voice
Physics and Astronomy · Engineering · #Advanced Thermodynamics and Statistical Mechanics #Membrane-based Ion Separation Techniques
paper · pdf · doi:10.1119/1.4722325
openalex publication_date 2012/07/17 · openalex created_date 2025/10/10 · openalex updated_date 2026/06/26
Osmosis is the flow of solvent across a semipermeable membrane from a region of lower to higher solute concentration. It is of central importance in plant and animal physiology and finds many uses in industry. A survey of published papers, web resources, and current textbooks reveals that numerous misconceptions about osmosis continue to be cited and taught. To clarify these issues, we re-derive the thermodynamics of osmosis using the canonical formalism of statistical mechanics and go on to discuss the main points that continue to lead to misunderstandings.