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Hubert H. Humphrey Center for Experimental Medicine and Cancer Research, Faculty of Medicine, Hebrew University, Jerusalem 91120, Israel
At present, physical chemistry employs the tools of thermodynamics to treat osmosis across a semipermeable membrane. We propose a model in terms of momentum transfer, the inherent asymmetry of which leads quantitatively to the vant Hoff relationship; qualitatively, the solute molecules can be looked upon as micropumps that suck solvent through the pores in the membrane.
Key words: Donnan equilibrium; momentum transfer; semipermeable membranes; solute-pore interaction; vant Hoff relationship
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