Osmosis and thermodynamics explained by solute blocking

TL;DR

This paper introduces a solute-blocking kinetic model that explains osmosis and thermodynamics, offering a distinct perspective from traditional models and providing testable predictions about solution behavior.

Contribution

It presents a novel kinetic model for osmosis and ideal solution thermodynamics that diverges from traditional convective flow explanations.

Findings

Validates a diffusive model of osmosis.

Provides a kinetic explanation for colligative properties.

Predicts testable outcomes for solution behavior.

Abstract

A solute-blocking model is presented that provides a kinetic explanation of osmosis and ideal solution thermodynamics. It validates a diffusive model of osmosis that is distinct from the traditional convective flow model of osmosis. Osmotic equilibrium occurs when the fraction of water molecules in solution matches the fraction of pure water molecules that have enough energy to overcome the pressure difference. Solute-blocking also provides a kinetic explanation for why Raoult's law and the other colligative properties depend on the mole fraction (but not the size) of the solute particles, resulting in a novel kinetic explanation for the entropy of mixing and chemical potential of ideal solutions. Some of its novel predictions have been confirmed, others can be tested experimentally or by simulation.