Re: how does polyethelene glycol-6000 change the water potential of soil?

Date: Fri Dec 1 10:40:10 2000
Posted By: Charles McClaugherty, Faculty, Environmental Science (Ecology), Mount Union College
Area of science: Earth Sciences
ID: 974460972.Es

Message:



Water potential is the sum of three components;  pressure potential, matric 
potential and solute (osmotic) potential.  Sine PEG 6000 is a moderately 
large but soluble molecule my bet is that it lowers the water potential by 
acting as a solute that is small enough to influence the osmotic potential 
but large enough to avoid being taken up by the plants.

The more concentrated a solute is the more negative is the water potential.

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