Question

Two solutions are separated by a permeable membrane (a membrane that lets water and anything else dissolved in the water). there is a lot of salt in the solution on one side of the membrane but none on the other.

A) what will happen next?

B) what word is used to describe the final state of the system?

C) if you want to avoid this final state occuring, what do you have to do?

Answer 1

Sol 1) In the case of a semi-permeable membrane, water would have flowed from the higher salt side to the pure water side and it would have led to desalination. The salt molecules won't be able to travel through the membrane due to it's selectivity.

But in this case, it is a permeable membrane, salt is also allowed through the membrane. so water and salt both will flow in opposite directions through the membrane until the salt concentration on both sides becomes equal.

2) The final state of the system would be isotonic.

3) We would have to place a semi-permeable membrane instead of a permeable membrane. In this way, only the water molecules would pass through it and not the salt molecules and thus it would lead to the desalination of the salt solution.