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Cell Membranes - Diffusion and Osmosis

            Cell membrane is the partially permeable membrane which means only certain molecules can pass through the membrane. Small and non-polar molecules can pass through easily while larger molecules & polar molecules can pass through the vesicles. Cell membrane is made up of phospholipid bilayer and is amphipathic-hydrophilic & hydrophobic areas. The hydrophobic regions avoid contact with water and are located inside and hydrophilic regions have affinity for water and are located inside. The purpose of cell membrane is to determine what goes in the cell and out of the cell.
             Diffusion is passive transport and is very essential process through which materials move from one place to another. It plays a significant role in biology, chemistry, physics, and in nearly every single part of our life. Diffusion is a result of the continuous thermal motion of atoms and particles and therefore goes from a high concentration gradient to a low concentration gradient. The finishing point of diffusion would be an equal concentration of particles on each side. Diffusion mostly takes place in gas molecules and in liquid molecules. The molecules of gases are in relentless motion and collide with the membrane and if the membrane is detached the gases will combine. .
             Diffusion is a spontaneous process and it is very important to generate energy and create other essential nutrients. Some examples of diffusion are perfume and air fresheners where the gas molecules diffuse from the bottle where there is high concentration into the air spreading the smell (molecules) where there is less concentration. Three main types of diffusion are simple, channel, and facilitated. Simple diffusion involves the transport of non-polar and hydrophobic molecules to the hydrophobic regions of the membrane without getting disallowed. Hydrophilic molecules cannot travel through the membrane because membrane will reject it. Through channel diffusion, channels made up of protein help move the materials through pores and regulates ions and charged molecules through these pores.


Essays Related to Cell Membranes - Diffusion and Osmosis

1. Semi-Permeable Plasma Membrane - Undergoing Diffusion

This reflects the semi-permeable nature of cell's membrane. Key Words: semi-permeable, membrane, diffusion, osmosis, concentration gradient, homeostasis, isotonic, hypotonic, hypertonic Introduction The dependence of life processes on diffusion mechanisms could not be more prevalent. ... Diffusion tells embryonic cells where to move and when to stop (Angeli, 2010). ... Osmosis allows cells to regulate the amount of water within their membrane in order to keep from shrinking or swelling (Glencoe/McGraw-Hill, 2006, p. 83). Both diffusion and osmosis play a substantial role in maintain th...

  • Word Count: 1659
  • Approx Pages: 7
  • Has Bibliography
  • Grade Level: High School

2. Biology - Cell membrane...

Relate membrane and wall structure to such processes as diffusion, osmosis, pinocytosis and phagocytosis. ... Four processes that can be related to this movement of materials are diffusion, osmosis, pinocytosis and phagocytosis. ... Another form of diffusion is known as facilitated diffusion'. ... Osmosis Osmosis is a special type of diffusion. ... Osmosis involves water diffusing through a semi-permeable membrane. ...

  • Word Count: 1290
  • Approx Pages: 5
  • Has Bibliography
  • Grade Level: Undergraduate

3. osmosis

The diffusion of water into and out of a selectively permeable membrane is called osmosis. Because of the selectively permeable membrane, nothing but water and other very small particles can be diffused through osmosis. The cell membrane is similar to the membrane mentioned above, so the cell would lose water because of osmosis if it were placed in an environment in which water concentration is greater than that of the cell. ... If a cell were put in a hypotonic solution, osmosis will cause water to move through the cell membrane into the cell. ... All particles that pass through the plasma me...

  • Word Count: 1585
  • Approx Pages: 6
  • Grade Level: High School

4. Diffusion Through a Semi-Permeable Membrane

Introduction The Aim of this investigation is to observe diffusion through a semi-permeable membrane Is to record to rate of osmosis a process by which molecules of a solvent tend to pass through a semipermeable membrane from a less concentrated solution into a more concentrated one, until an overall concentration is reached through a semi- permeable membrane called diffusion. ... Meaning that diffusion slows down as the solution had reached equilibrium 40 Discussion The purpose of this experiment is to record the rate of osmosis diffusion through a semi- permeable membrane. ... Select...

  • Word Count: 1575
  • Approx Pages: 6
  • Grade Level: High School

5. Transport Across a Membrane

These are Diffusion, Osmosis, Active Transport.., etc. ... Cell Membrane While drawing a cell, we all used to draw the plasma membrane with a straight line separating the inner contents of the cell from its exterior environment. ... This gives the cell membrane its fluid like nature. ... (Gaseous Exchange in Lungs 2013) 2) Osmosis Another form of transport between the cells is Osmosis. Unlike diffusion, osmosis is the movement of molecules from a higher concentration to a lower concentration through a semi- permeable membrane until the molecules are evenly distributed. ...

  • Word Count: 1273
  • Approx Pages: 5
  • Has Bibliography
  • Grade Level: High School

6. Osmosis And Diffusion

Diffusion is imperative for the distribution of ion and other solutes within a cell. ... There are two types of diffusion across the membrane barrier: OSMOSIS: It depends on concentration of solutes in an aqueous solution on the two sides seperated by a membrane. ... FACILITATED DIFFUSION: Utilizes membrane protein to allow charged molecules to freely diffuse in and out of the cell. ... Two major groups of integral membrane proteins are involved in facilitated diffusion: 1. ... Ion channels allow currents the be carried across the membrane and are thus of particular importance in the phys...

  • Word Count: 954
  • Approx Pages: 4
  • Grade Level: Undergraduate

7. Diffusion and Osmosis Lab

Discussion and Conclusion Introduction: Background Information In the permeability lab, I gained an understanding of the principles of diffusion and osmosis. Diffusion is the net movement of molecules from an area of high concentration to an area of low concentration. Osmosis is the diffusion of water through a selectively permeable membrane from a region in which it is highly concentrated to an area that has a lower concentration. ... Cells use diffusion in order to perform simple tasks. ... Discussion and Conclusion The purpose of this lab was to expose my classmates and me to the process o...

  • Word Count: 1725
  • Approx Pages: 7
  • Grade Level: High School

8. Osmosis

The covering of the egg is called the cell membrane. The distilled water affected the egg because of diffusion. ... The term "selectively permeable" means the membrane can choose what enters the cell. ... The function of the contractile vacuoles is to pump water out of the cell caused by osmosis. ... According to the laws of osmosis the plant cells should have exploded. ...

  • Word Count: 512
  • Approx Pages: 2
  • Grade Level: High School

9. Membranes

Development of a cell membrane that could allow some materials to pass while constraining the movement of other molecules was a major step in the evolution of the cell. ... However, within our cells "across layers of membranes or from one cell to another "diffusion is rapid enough to distribute small molecules and ions almost instantaneously. ... Membranes can influence diffusion rates. ... Water diffusion across membranes is a special case and is referred to as osmosis. ... Facilitated diffusion involves proteins that are embedded in the plasma membrane. ...

  • Word Count: 1003
  • Approx Pages: 4
  • Grade Level: Undergraduate

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