What is the difference between Osmolality and Osmolarity? - ProProfs Discuss
Advertisement

What is the difference between Osmolality and Osmolarity?

What is the difference between Osmolality and Osmolarity?

Change Image    Delete

Asked by Juul , Last updated: Dec 22, 2024

+ Answer
Request
Question menu
Vote up Vote down

6 Answers

J. Alva

J. Alva

J. Alva
J. Alva

Answered Dec 11, 2020

Osmolarity will refer to the number of solute particles that are available for every 1L of solvents. When you say osmolality, this means that you are checking out the number of particles that you can find in 1 kg of solvent.

If you are going to use osmolarity and osmolality in different solute particles, you might realize that the differences will not be significant anymore. There are different formulas that you can use if you would like to convert the two. The formula that you are going to use is (m): c=1000 m/1000 / + Swi i.

upvote downvote
Reply 

Brendan

Brendan

Always excited to learn and talk about new topics

Brendan
Brendan , Analyst, NY

Answered Nov 27, 2020

Osmolality can be defined as the number of osmoles of a certain solute in one kilogram of the solvent, while Osmolarity, on the other hand, can be defined as the number of osmoles of a certain solute in one liter of a solution. Osmolarity basically deals with the concentration of a particular osmotic solution but osmolality, on the contrary, deals with the concentration of a certain solute in a solution. That is, Osmolality means the amount of a solute in a solvent. The unit of Osmolarity is Osm/L, while Osmolality is measured in OSM/Kg. The determined value of Osmolality and Osmolarity is identical when the concentration of the solute is low in the solution. In the determination of some medical conditions such as diabetes, shock, and so on, the use of osmolality is employed while Osmolarity finds its application in the detection of the amount of dissolved solutes in human or animal urine.
upvote downvote
Reply 

youness

youness

Building buildings and building intelligence

youness
Youness , Builder, B. Tech, Bern

Answered Nov 18, 2020

Osmolality refers to the number of osmoles of solute per kilogram of the solvent that is being measured is present. For example, you would like to know the grams of sugar that are used in order to sweeten kilograms of cocoa powder. When you say osmolarity, on the other hand, you mean to measure the number of osmoles of solute for every liter of solution that you will find. This means that you are dissolving sugar in a liter of water in order to create a sugar solution. It will be vital to know this so that you will not get confused if someone asks.
upvote downvote
Reply 

Isabel Mathew

Isabel Mathew

Coding is my forte plus writing and sharing my experiences online is one of my favorite hobbies.

Isabel Mathew
Isabel Mathew, Software engineer, BS(Bachelor of Science), Austin,Texas

Answered Jul 23, 2020

Osmoles are a unit of osmotic pressure. Osmolality and osmolarity are two terms related to osmoles. Osmolarity is a term to explain the amount of osmotic concentration that a solution has. It is very difficult to determine osmolarity, because things like pressure and temperature can affect it. Osmolality determines how the dissolved solutes are concentrated.

It can also determine the amount of particles in fluid. One key difference between the two is that Osmolality is not affected by anything and it does not change. Another difference is that osmolality is much easier to determine than osmolarity is. Along with that, they are measured differently. Osmolality is measured in KG, while osmolarity is measured in L.

upvote downvote
Reply 

N. Jarah

N. Jarah

N. Jarah
N. Jarah

Answered Jul 20, 2020

When you say osmolarity, you should realize that this pertains to the number of particles that you can find in a solute for every liter of the solution that you can get. When you say osmolality, this means that you are pertaining to the number of particles that can be found in the solute for every kilogram of the solvent that you are trying to measure. Take note that a lot of people prefer osmolality over osmolarity, probably because this is very useful for the aqueous solutions that should be measured very soon. Osmolarity is also known to come with a little bit more volume, which can make things more complicated for those who are trying to measure the number of particles available.
upvote downvote
Reply 

Millie Brown

Millie Brown

Business is what makes a difference in this world, may that be for good or bad and that's what I love about that.

Millie Brown
Millie Brown, Businessman, Bachelor of Science in Business (BSBA), Nevada,Texas

Answered Jul 13, 2020

Osmolality and osmolarity are two terms that are used to measure the amount of osmoles of solute present in a kilogram of solvent, and the number of osmoles that 1 liters of a solution contains, respectively. The term that explains the osmotic concentration of a solution is known as osmolarity, and it is expressed as osmoles of solute per liter of solution.

Osmolality and osmolarity are two terms that are used to measure the amount of osmoles of solute
At times, to determine the osmolarity of a solution can be very difficult since its volume is usually affected by any change in temperature and pressure, and it also changes when more solutes are added. Osmolality, on the other hand, is used to determine the concentration of the dissolved solutes or particles in a fluid. Unlike the volume of osmolarity that changes by the addition of more solutes, the volume of osmolality does not change regardless of any factor; as a result, the osmolality of a solution can be easily determined. The unit of osmolality is Osm/Kg, whereas the unit of osmolarity is Osm/L.

upvote downvote
Reply 

Advertisement
Advertisement
Search for Google images Google Image Icon
Select a recommended image
Upload from your computer Loader
Image Preview
Search for Google images Google Image Icon
Select a recommended image
Upload from your computer Loader
Image Preview
Search for Google images Google Image Icon
Select a recommended image
Upload from your computer Loader

Email Sent
We have sent an email to your address "" with instructions to reset your password.