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Differences in the concentration of a component result in a net difference in the Gibbs free energy of the molecules of that component in the more concentrated region and the more dilute region. That difference provides a driving force for the molecules in the more concentrated region to migrate towards the more dilute region while there is less driving force for the molecules in the dilute region to migrate against the gradient, resulting in a net effect of diffusion. Note that if the Gibbs free energy can be raised in one region compared to another by some other means, such as increasing the pressure on one side of a membrane, you can actually get diffusion against the concentration gradient. That's how reverse osmosis works.

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6y ago
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12y ago

To reach an equilibrium of concentrated solute particle. It's the process by which particles move from an area of high concentration to an area of low concentration.

A simple reason why this occurs is that particles are always bouncing off each other, and an area with a high concentration of particles would be harder for a particle to bounce into than one with very few particles.

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14y ago

u might have heard of second law of thermodynamics that
every system will try to increase its entropy.
entropy is a measure of disorder and greater the disorder more
negetive will be its free energy or greater will be its spontaneity.
if u have not heard of this don't be afraid!!!
diffusion means flowing or expanding to greater volume, that means ther is greater scope of disorder as volume increases.
u can imagine 5 students sitting on a bench. it will be uncomfortable and stressful situation.but if u give one more bench they will be more comfortable
so as we provide more space,probability for disorder or entropy
increases and hence diffusion is favoured for fluids,normally

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7y ago

A concentration gradient means a favorable difference in Gibbs free energies between the more concentrated region and the less concentrated region of the diffusing molecules - which provides a driving force to equalize the concentrations and eliminate the difference in concentration.
Another way to look at it is that when there is a concentration gradient there are more molecules of the diffusing material in the concentrated region than in the less concentrated region, thus as they bang around it is more likely for a molecule of the diffusing material to move into the less concentrated region than for a molecule of the diffusing material to move into the more concentrated region.
Note that concentration gradients can be sustained or even created by imposing other forces on a system that override the probability of more numerous molecules moving from a region of concentration into a region of less concentration. A good example is when a magnetic or electrical field is imposed on a solution or gas with charged or magnetically susceptible molecules or particles. When that is done, the probability of movement in one direction vs the other is biased by the attractive and/or repulsive forces of the imposed field. More subtly, a temperature gradient can alter the Gibbs free energies of different regions to make it more or less favorable for a molecule to remain in one temperature region than in the other. Likewise the Gibbs free energy can be altered by pressure - which is how reverse osmosis works.

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13y ago

The constant random motion of molecules called Brownian movement

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12y ago

By movement of molecules from high concentration to low concentration area .

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7y ago

Diffusion is the result of random movement of atoms and molecules.

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Q: How and where does diffusion occur in nature?
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