Question

Consider Fig. 17.8. According to the caption and picture, water is transferred from one beaker to another.

a. Explain why this occurs.

b. The explanation in the text uses terms such as vapor pressure and equilibrium. Explain what these terms have to do with the phenomenon. For example, what does the equilibrium involve?

c. Does all the water end up in the second beaker?

d. Is the water in the beaker containing the solute evaporating? If so, is the rate of evaporation increasing, decreasing, or staying constant?

Draw pictures to illustrate your explanations.

Short answer

Reverse Osmosis, or RO, is a technique that demineralizes or deionizes water by forcing it through a semi-permeable Reverse Osmosis Membrane under pressure.

Step-by-step solution

Subpart(a): Explain why this occurs.Step 1:

In the osmosis movement of water, molecules occur from high concentration to low.

Step 2:

In reverse osmosis, due to external pressure, the opposite process occurs.

Subpart(b): The explanation in the text uses terms such as vapor pressure and equilibrium. Explain what these terms have to do with the phenomenon. For example, what does the equilibrium involve?Step 1

Vapor pressure is the pressure exerted by the gas phase of liquid-gas equilibrium

Step 2:

The movement of molecules occurs spontaneously from higher vapor pressure to lower pressure until equilibrium is reached.

Subpart(c): Does all the water end up in the second beaker?Step 1

If the pressure is high enough all the water molecules end up in the second beaker. The process is known as the desalination process.

Step 2

The desalination process uses the principle of reverse osmosis.

Subpart(d): Is the water in the beaker containing the solute evaporating? If so, is the rate of evaporation increasing, decreasing, or staying constant?Step 1

Evaporation is a process of vaporizing water below it’s boiling point’

Step 2

No evaporation is occurring only reverse osmosis is happening.