Osmotique

Osmotique is a French adjective used to describe phenomena related to osmosis. Osmosis is the movement of a solvent, typically water, across a semipermeable membrane from a region of lower solute concentration to higher solute concentration, driven by differences in chemical potential. The term osmosis derives from Greek osme meaning a pushing, with the suffix -osis.

In physics and chemistry, the concept of osmotic pressure—the pressure required to stop solvent flow across the membrane—is central to osmotique discussions. For dilute solutions, osmotic pressure π can be approximated by the van't Hoff equation π = iCRT, where i is the van't Hoff factor, C the molar concentration, R the gas constant, and T temperature.

In biology, osmosis is essential for cell turgor, nutrient transport, and homeostasis. Hypertonic solutions draw water out of cells, causing shrinkage; hypotonic solutions can cause swelling and lysis. Osmotic balance is critical in medical contexts, such as intravenous fluids, dialysis, and renal water handling.

Osmotique also appears in food science and preservation, where high concentrations of sugar or salt create osmotic pressure that inhibits microbial growth by drawing water from microbial cells. In environmental and engineering contexts, reverse osmosis uses applied pressure to overcome natural osmotic gradients for desalination and water treatment.

See also: osmosis, osmolarity, osmotic pressure, semipermeable membrane, dialysis, isotonic/hypertonic/hypotonic solutions.