Proc. Nat. Acad. Sci.

USA
Vol. 68, No. 6, pp. 1093-1094, June 1971

Experiments on Osmosis with Magnetic Fluid

(colloidal fluid/dialysis)

P. F. SCHOLANDER AND M. PEREZ

Scripps Institution of Oceanography, University of California, San Diego, Calif. 92037; and Instituto De
Pesquisas Da Marinha, Brasil
Communicated March 15, 1971

ABSTRACT Experiments on a ferromagnetic colloidal
fluid at equilibrium showed equality between magnetic
and osmotic force; this result identifies solute pressure
against the free surface as the cause of the negative solvent
pressure. Except for water of hydration, there is no other
osmotic interaction between solute and solvent.
It has been argued repeatedly and independently that the
impact of solute molecules on the free or unrestrained surface
of a solution gives negative hydrostatic pressure to the water
and causes osmotic flux (1). There are several lines of evidence
for this view, such as the lowering of the vapor pressure of a
liquid by solutes, the equality between hydrodynamic and
osmotic flux, and the fact that this mechanism accounts for
the negative pressure of the water in matrices and suspensions
(2). According to this theory, which invokes forces acting on
a free surface, it can be predicted that any force that changes
the dispersal pressure of the solute would affect the osmotic
pressure. Besides the well-known effect of temperature, one
would expect osmotic effects from acceleration, electrostatic,
or magnetic forces. We report here on experiments with a
self-suspending colloidal ferromagnetic solution obtained from
the Ferrofluidics Corp. (3).
METHODS (FIG. 1)
A dialyzing membrane is mounted over a lens paper sup-
ported by a rigid rubber disk that is bulged so as to stretch the
membrane (4). The rigidity of this mounting permits mea-
surements of balancing pressures within +1 mm of H20. This
cup-shaped unit is fastened horizontally to one end of an
aluminum spring, the other end being clamped in a vise.
A fine plastic tubing connects the osmometer with a reading
capillary that is kept exactly level with the fluid surface.
The other end of the capillary connects to an adjustable
water manometer (5). In the center, below the cup, is a hook
on which weights may be hanged. These weights are made from
a roll of soldering tin and cut to weigh exactly as much as a
5-mm depth of water does in the cup. To the spring is fastened
a fine wire pointer, which extends to a movable null scale.
The entire assembly is scrupulously nonmagnetic.
A strong permanent magnet (Westinghouse 6440048) is
mounted on a lab jack so that it can be raised and lowered
with the poles facing up or down. The magnet is positioned so
as to maintain, as nearly as possible, a flat fluid surface in
the cup along the total path of travel of the magnet. With
the magnet above the cup, it is necessary to cover the mag-
netic fluid with a thin plastic film that is clamped tightly
around the edges but rests slack on the surface. Without this
1093
cover, the surface deforms and papillae rise toward the magnet
(3). The film maintains a flat surface without imposing a
perpendicular pressure vector.
PROCEDURE
The magnet, mounted above the solution, is elevated until
the pointer shows no lift; this is taken as the null point on the
scale. One of the weights is hung under the cup, and the re-
sulting depression of the spring is compensated for by lowering
the magnet until the pointer is back to the null mark (Fig. 1).
The vertical vector of the magnetic force will now exactly
balance a 5-mm decrease in the manometer pressure, i.e.,
provided the entire osmotic effect were due to surface cou-
pling. The procedure is repeated with one weight added at a
time.
With the magnet underneath the cup, three of the weights
are hung on the sides of the cup and the null line is determined
with the magnet removed. One at a time, the weights are
removed and the magnet is elevated until the pointer is back
to the null mark; the balancing pressure is read on the manom-
eter.
RESULTS
In experiments with the magnet above the cup (Fig. 2), the
change in weight by the magnetic force is exactly matched
by the manometer pressure, both read as mm of water. At
zero magnetic force, we have the osmotic pressure of the solu-
tion, which was 11 mm of water. With the magnet below the
cup, a pull of 6 mm or more entirely abolishes the magnetic
8
3
FIG. 1. Experiments with magnet above ferromagnetic fluid
in osmometer cup. (1) Dialyzing cup with surface covered by
thin film, 2; (3) meniscus; (4) manometer; (6) aluminum spring;
(6) vise; (7) adjustable null scale; (8) magnet on lab jack. When
corrected for a capillary blank (3), the manometer reading (4) is
negative.
 1094 Physics: Scholander and Perez Proc. Nat. Acad. Sci. USA 68 (1971)

I I I ~~~~~~I
I I CONCLUSIONS
We see how the osmotic pressure produced by the magnetic
0 colloidal substance relates to the free surface and not to the
-l0
membrane. As the magnet approaches the surface from above,
I-C.,
the osmotic pressure increases by the same amount as the
weight decreases, whereas the solute pressure against the
I membrane diminishes; conversely, as the magnet pulls the
Ig\ solute down from the surface it abolishes the osmotic effect,
w
LL.- -201
IL while the solute molecules increasingly press on the mem-

C,) -30f
I
I KI \ brane. The idea of osmotic force being driven by a difference
in water "concentration" across the membrane must be
abandoned. Evidently the water fabric is only interrupted by
0
solute molecules but is not "diluted" by them (2).
.s I I . I
a I a The perfect match between the magnetic and osmotic force
-4A in these experiments gives no room in osmotic terms for a
+10 0 -10 -20 -30 solute-solvent interaction, except by coupling with the free
MAGNETIC EFFECT MM H20 surface.
This research was supported by National Institutes of Health
FIG. 2. Magnetic effect on water-pressure in magnetic solu- Grant no. GM-10521.
tion. Left: magnet pulling down, right: magnet pulling up. OP
is osmotic pressure with zero magnetic force. The diagonal is 1. Noyes, A. A., Z. Phys. Chem., 35, 707 (1900); Hulett, G. A.,
drawn at 450 and is the theoretical line for surface coupling be- Z. Phys. Chem., 142, 353 (1902); Herzfeld, K. F., Phys. Z.
tween solute and solvent. Spread of observations is indicated by 38, 58 (1937); Mysels, K. J., Introduction to Colloid Chemistry
the length of the vertical bars. (Interscience Publishers, Inc., New York, 1959); Scholander,
P. F., Proc. Nat. Acad. Sci. USA, 55, 1407 (1966).
2. Scholander, P. F., Microvascular Research, 2, 1 (1971).
effect, leaving 5 mm due to nonmagnetic solutes. Two runs 3. Rosensweig, R. E., Ind. Res., October, 36 (1970).
gave identical results and the blank value without magnetic
4. Hargens, A. R., and P. F. Scholander, Microvascular Re-
search, 1, 417 (1969).
force remained the same. No magnetic particles were found 5. Scholander, P. F., Topics in the Study of Life: The Bio Source
to have penetrated the membrane. Book (New York, 1971), pp. 138-147.