RT Journal Article
SR Electronic
T1 The physics of osmotic pressure
JF bioRxiv
FD Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory
SP 116806
DO 10.1101/116806
A1 M. G. Bowler
YR 2017
UL http://biorxiv.org/content/early/2017/03/14/116806.abstract
AB The proper application of the virial theorem to the origin of osmotic pressure provides a simple, vivid and complete explanation of the physical processes involved; osmosis is driven by differential solvent pressures. This simple and intuitive notion is widely disregarded, but the virial theorem allows an exact formulation and unifies a number of different treatments. It is closely related to a kinetic treatment devised by Ehrenfest over 100 years ago.