Question

Let's say that I put a tea infuser full of high-salt and/or high-sugar content, into a tea pot full of fresh water. I know that the salt and/or sugar will move from the infuser to the tea pot until their salt/sugar levels equalize.

Does the force, the pressure, which moves the water, have a name?
I thought about osmotic pressure, but I think that's just for salt? The system is also trending towards homeostasis, but that's a state, not a force. So, I'm not sure what to call this.

Answer 1

Osmotic pressure is the force that moves water from a region of lower to higher solute concentration across a semipermeable membrane until equilibrium is reached, and it applies to both salt and sugar solutions.

Step-by-step explanation:

The force, or pressure, that moves the water from the tea infuser full of high-salt and/or high-sugar content to the teapot full of fresh water is known as osmotic pressure. Osmotic pressure is the force that drives water across a semipermeable membrane from a region with lower solute concentration to a region with higher solute concentration.

This pressure increases until it reaches a point where there is no net movement of water, at which point the system reaches equilibrium. Osmotic pressure not only applies to the movement of water in response to differences in salt concentrations but also in response to any solute, including sugar.

As the water moves to equalize solute concentrations, a back pressure, or relative osmotic pressure, develops that eventually stops further osmosis when the osmotic pressure is counteracted.