Final answer:
Osmosis describes the movement of a solvent across a semi-permeable membrane from a dilute solution to a concentrated solution, equalizing the concentrations. Concentrated solutions have a large amount of solute, while dilute solutions have less. Diluting or concentrating a solution affects osmotic flow by altering solute concentrations.
Step-by-step explanation:
The process of movement of solutions and solutes can be best described through the concept of osmosis. This is where, if two solutions of different concentration are separated by a semi-permeable membrane, typically the solvent moves from the area of lower concentration to the area of higher concentration.
This movement serves to equalize the concentrations on both sides of the membrane. In the context of dilute and concentrated solutions, a concentrated solution has a relatively large amount of solute dissolved in the solvent, and a dilute solution has a relatively small amount of solute compared to the solvent.
When concentrating solutions, we often remove solvent by evaporating or boiling, which increases the concentration of the solute. Conversely, diluting a concentrated solution involves adding more solvent and therefore decreasing the concentration of the solute. The example of adding water to frozen juice concentrate to make juice illustrates this principle. This process of diluting or concentrating solutions affects the direction and rate at which osmosis occurs across a semi-permeable membrane.