Question

BaCl₂ on reaction with Na₂SO₄ in aqueous solution gives white precipitate. If the two solutions are separated by a semi-permeable membrane, will there be appearance of a white precipitate due to osmosis?

Answer 1

No, a white precipitate will not appear. Osmosis allows only the movement of solvent molecules through a semi-permeable membrane, not ions like Ba²⁺ and \[\ce{SO^{2-}4}\]. Since the reacting ions cannot pass through the membrane, they cannot come in contact to form BaSO₄, so no precipitate is formed.