title: Osmotic potential calculations of inorganic and organic aqueous solutions over wide solute concentration levels and temperatures.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To demonstrate that the authors' new "aqueous solution vs pure water" equation to calculate osmotic potential may be used to calculate the osmotic potentials of inorganic and organic aqueous solutions over wide ranges of solute concentrations and temperatures. Currently, the osmotic potentials of solutions used for medical purposes are calculated from equations based on the thermodynamics of the gas laws which are only accurate at low temperature and solute concentration levels. Some solutions used in medicine may need their osmotic potentials calculated more accurately to take into account solute concentrations and temperatures.
  
  
  METHODS
  The authors experimented with their new equation for calculating the osmotic potentials of inorganic and organic aqueous solutions up to and beyond body temperatures by adjusting three of its factors; (a) the volume property of pure water, (b) the number of "free" water molecules per unit volume of solution, "Nf," and (c) the "t" factor expressing the cooperative structural relaxation time of pure water at given temperatures. Adequate information on the volume property of pure water at different temperatures is available in the literature. However, as little information on the relative densities of inorganic and organic solutions, respectively, at varying temperatures needed to calculate Nf was available, provisional equations were formulated to approximate values. Those values together with tentative t values for different temperatures chosen from values calculated by different workers were substituted into the authors' equation to demonstrate how osmotic potentials could be estimated over temperatures up to and beyond bodily temperatures.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The provisional equations formulated to calculate Nf, the number of free water molecules per unit volume of inorganic and organic solute solutions, respectively, over wide concentration ranges compared well with the calculations of Nf using recorded relative density data at 20 °C. They were subsequently used to estimate Nf values at temperatures up to and excess of body temperatures. Those values, together with t values at temperatures up to and in excess of body temperatures recorded in the literature, were substituted in the authors' equation for the provisional calculation of osmotic potentials. The calculations indicated that solution temperatures and solute concentrations have a marked effect on osmotic potentials.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Following work to measure the relative densities of aqueous solutions for the calculation of Nf values and the determination of definitive t values up to and beyond bodily temperatures, the authors' equation would enable the accurate estimations of the osmotic potentials of wide concentrations of aqueous solutions of inorganic and organic solutes over the temperature range. The study illustrates that not only solute concentrations but also temperatures have a marked effect on osmotic potentials, an observation of medical and biological significance.
authors.affiliation: AGTECA S.A., 230 Oceanbeach Road, Mount Maunganui, Tauranga 3116, New Zealand.
authors.forename: T T
authors.initials: TT
authors.lastname: Cochrane
authors.affiliation: Department of Civil and Natural Resources Engineering, University of Canterbury, Private Bag 4800, Christchurch 8140, New Zealand.
authors.forename: T A
authors.initials: TA
authors.lastname: Cochrane
mesh_terms: D006801:Humans; D009995:Osmosis; D012965:Sodium Chloride / Q000737:chemistry*; D012996:Solutions; D013395:Sucrose / Q000737:chemistry*; D013696:Temperature; D014867:Water / Q000737:chemistry*
chemical_list: D012996:Solutions; D014867:Water; D012965:Sodium Chloride; D013395:Sucrose