Question

Two containers of equal volume are separated by a membrane that allows free passage of water but completely restricts passae of solute molecules. Into which compartment will water flow, or will there be no net movement of water? Which solution is at the higher concentration? Which chamber is exerting the higher osmotic pressure?

Answer 1

Hi Rena, Josh, Veronica, et al. See my comments about an ID crises above.
In osmosis H2O flows from the least concentrated solution to the most concentrated solution. I think of it as H2O flowing in the direction to make the concentration on each side of the membrane equal. So "pure" water will flow from that chamber to the chamber containing the solute. Which chamber exerts the higher osmotic pressure? Remember, pi = MRT.
The higher the molarity the higher the O.P.
But be careful here. The chamber with the higher concn has the higher OP but higher OP does NOT mean water will from from high pressure to low pressure (which is a common mistake). Here is a link that gives the DEFINITION of osmotic pressure.
https://www.google.com/search?q=osmotic+pressure&ie=utf-8&oe=utf-8&aq=t&rls=org.mozilla:en-US:official&client=firefox-a