Term: reverse osmosis
https://doi.org/10.1351/goldbook.RT06893

Definition:
Liquid-phase pressure-driven separation process in which applied transmembrane pressure causes selective movement of solvent against its osmotic pressure difference.

Related Terms:
1) osmotic pressure (http://doi.org/10.1351/goldbook.O04344).

Source: PAC, 1996, 68, 1479. 'Terminology for membranes and membrane processes (IUPAC Recommendations 1996)' on page 1489 (https://doi.org/10.1351/pac199668071479)

Citation: 'reverse osmosis' in IUPAC Compendium of Chemical Terminology, 5th ed. International Union of Pure and Applied Chemistry; 2025. Online version 5.0.0, 2025. https://doi.org/10.1351/goldbook.RT06893

License: The IUPAC Gold Book is licensed under Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike CC BY-SA 4.0 International (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/) for individual terms.

Disclaimer: The International Union of Pure and Applied Chemistry (IUPAC) is continuously reviewing and, where needed, updating terms in the Compendium of Chemical Terminology (the IUPAC Gold Book). Users of these terms are encouraged to include the version of a term with its use and to check regularly for updates to term definitions that you are using.