Difusion, osmosis and active transport over cell

membranes
In order to survive,
cells need a supply
of
nutrient
molecules; and
most cells also need an oxygen
supply for aerobic respiration.
Also, the reactions within living
cells (collectively nown as
metabolism! generate waste
products which need to be
removed from the cell. Any
molecule needs to cross a
membrane to move in or out of a
cell.
"
processes
which rely
on the
inetic
energy in
molecules
D IFF
USIO
N
In a #uid (gas or
li$uid!, the
molecules or ions
move around freely,
even if it is not
mixed or stirred, this
is because the
molecules are not
held together lie in
a
sol
id,
th
ey
po
ss
es
s
ki
ne
tic
energy that
eeps them
moving.
%rocesses
such as
difusion
that depend
only on this
energy are
termed as
passive
processes.
&he
proces
s of
difusi
on is
the
evenin
g out
of
molecu
les
across
an
area. It
is the
net
move
ment
of
particl
es
from
an
area of
high
concen
tration
to an
area of
lower
concen
tration;
which
continues
until the
concentratio
n of the
particles is
consistent
throughout.
&he diagram shows a phospholipid
bilayer (cell
membrane!
with carbon
dioxide
molecules on
one side of
it
in the 'rst
stage. In the
second stage,
the carbon
dioxide molecules are travelling
through the bilayer
because they are small enough to
pass between the
phospholipids
. &he
molecules
move through
t
o

t
h
e

o
t
h
e
r
s
i
d
e

o
f
t
h
e

m
e
m
b
r
a
n
e
.
D
i
f
fusion
stops
when
the
amount
of
molecu
les on
both
sides is
even.
&his is
an
exampl
e of
difusion as would happen with
photosynthesis with the gas exchange.
(ven
when
the
molecu
les have been
distributed
evenly via
difusion,
movement
doesn)t stop
completely.
&he molecules
still move
around, but
not in any one
particular
direction *
because they
still have this
inetic energy.
+e refer to
this state as
equilibrium,
when there is
no net
movement.
,actors
afecting the
rate of
difusion are- .
temper
ature * an
increase in
temperatur
e means an
increase in
inetic
energy, so
the rate of
random
movement
of the
molecules
increases
as does the
rate of
difusion
2 concent
Passive
Processes
rati
on
gra
dien
t *
havi
ng
mor
e
mole
cule
s on
one
side
of
the
me
mbr
ane
incre
ases
the
conc
entr
ation
grad
ient
and
so
incre
ases
the
rate
of
difu
sion
/
s
ize
o
mole
cule
s *
small
er
mole
cules
difu
se
more
$uic
ly
than
large
r
ones
0
t!ickn
ess o
memb
rane *
difusi
on is
slowed
down
by
thic
memb
ranes
as
molec
ules
have
to
cross
large
distan
ces
5 s
urac
e
area *
difusi
on
occurs
more
$uicly
when
there
is a
larger
surface area to
difuse across
&here is a
second
type of
difusion,
called
acilitate
d
difusion,
which is
the
movemen
t of a
speci'c
molecule
down a
concentra
tion
gradient,
passing
through
the
membran
e via a
speci'c
protein
carrier.
&he two
types of
protein
are-
1 the
c!annel
protein
forms
pores in
the
membran
e, which
a
r
e

u
s
u
a
l
l
y

s
h
a
p
e
d

o
n
l
y

t
o

a
l
l
o
w

t
h
e

o
n
e

typ
e of
mol
ecu
le
or
ion
thr
oug
h *
and
ma
ny
are
also
gat
ed,
me
ani
ng
the
y
can
be
ope
ned
and
clos
ed
2 t
h
e
c
a
r
ri
e
r
p
rotein is
shaped
so that a
speci'c
molecul
e (e.g.
glucose
in the
diagram
on the
following
page!
can 't
into the
protein
at the
membra
ne
surface,
and
when
the
molecul
e 'ts,
the
protein
changes
shape to
allow
the
molecul
e to
pass
through
to the
other
side
"""#asbiology
$%$#"ordpress
#co
m
outside cell
glucose
glucose carrier
protein
inside cell
O S&OSIS
&he
diagram
shows a
glucose
molecule
entering a
carrier
protein
which is
shaped to
speci'cally
hold that
molecule.
+hen it is
securely in
there, the
carrier
protein
changes
shape to
allow the
glucose molecule to travel
through the protein and out
through the other end. 1lucose
molecules are too big to
difuse through the
phospholipids, so they have to
use these
proteins
instead.
A special
type of
difusion is
osmosis,
which is
speci'cally
concerned
with water
molecules
across a
partially"
permeable
membrane.
+ater
molecules
are also free
to move
from areas
of
a
hig
h
wat
er
con
cen
trat
ion,
to
are
as
of
low
wat
er
con
cen
trat
ion. 2aving a substance
dissolved in the water will
afect the number of free
water molecules, and this
decreases the water
concentration.
&he measure of the
tendency of water
molecules to move from
one place to another is
called "ater potential
('!. +ater always moves
from an area of high
water potential to an area
of low water potential, i.e.
from areas with lots of
these 3free4 water
molecules to areas with
fewer water molecules.
As
with
difusi
on, net
move
ment
of
molec
ules
occurs
until
the
conce
ntratio
ns are
evene
d out,
so
osmosi
s will
occur
until
the
water
potenti
al is
the
same
on
both
s
i
d
e
s

o
f
t
h
e

m
e
m
b
r
a
n
e
.
sol
ute
mol
ecu
le
wat
er
mol
ecu
le
partial
ly"
perme
able
memb
rane
5et movement of water by
osmosis

6ower concentration of solute

molecules
2igher concentration of solute
molecules

2igher concentration of free water

molecules
6ower concentration of free water
molecules
&he
wat
6ower water potential
7ery low water potential
"""#
#"ordpress#c
om
&he cell membrane is a partially permeable membrane. %lacing plant or animal cells in pure water,
or in any solution with a water potential higher than the cell contents, means there is a water
potential gradient from outside to inside the cells. +ater molecules will move down the water
potential gradient into the cells by osmosis. &he cells will swell. In the case of animal cells, the cell
will eventually burst open * it is !aemolysed. In a plant cell, the swelling vacuole and cytoplasm
will push the membrane against the cell wall. It will not burst because the wall will eventually stop
the cell getting any larger. 8smosis will then stop at this point, even if the concentration gradient
remains. &he cell is turgid.
%lacing animal or plant cells in a salt or sugar solution (with a water potential lower than the cell
contents! means there is a water potential from insider to outside the cells, so water molecules
move out of the cells by osmosis. &he cells will shrin, and in the case of animal cells, the cell
contents will shrin and the membrane will wrinle up * the cell has crenated. +ith plant cells,
the cytoplasm and vacuole will shrin as they lose water, the cell surface membrane will pull
away from the cell wall * this is called plasmolysis.
( )*I+,
* -(NS
PO-*
A cell cannot get everything it needs via
difusion and osmosis. 9ometimes a cell will
need more of a particular substance than there
is outside of the cell; or in other cases, it may
:ust be that the cell needs to get a particular
substance inside the cell $uicer than simple
difusion allows. &his would obviously re$uire
energy to drive the process.
(ctive *ransport "
the movement of molecules
across membranes using A&%
to drive the proteins used
9ome of the carrier proteins
found in membranes act as
3pumps.4 &hese proteins are
similar to the carrier proteins
used for facilitated difusion.
&hey are shaped in
a way that is
complementary to
the molecules they
carry. &hey carry
larger or charged
ions
throug
h
membr
anes.
&hese
are the molecules that cannot
pass through the lipid bilayer
using difusion. &hese protein
pumps difer signi'cantly from
the proteins used in facilitated
difusion-
1 they carry
speci'c molecules
one way across the
membrane
2 in carrying
molecules across the
membrane, they use
energy in the form of
(*P
3 they can carry
molecules against
the
concentrati
on gradient
(from low
to high!
4 they
can carry
molecules
at a much
faster and
more
e;cient
ra
te
th
a
n
di
f
u
si
o
n
mole
cule
bein
g
activ
ely
trans
porte
d
(*P "
(adenosine
triphosphate!
produced
during
respiration,
almost all
activities that
need energy in
the cell are
driv
en
by
the
ene
rgy
rele
ase
d
fro
m
A&%
shape
change of
active
transport
protein
re$uires
A&% * the
shape
change does not
allow the molecule
to go the 3wrong
way4
active transport protein is shaped so
that the molecule it transports can only
't on one side of the protein
&h
e
en
erg
y
whi
ch
is
use
d
in the active
transport process
is used to change
the shape of the
transport protein.
&he shape change
means that speci'c
molecules to be
transported 't into
the protein on one
side of the
membrane
only. As the
molecule is
carried
through,
the carrier
uses the
energy
from A&% to
chane
shape so
th
at
th
e
m
ol
ec
ul
e
be
in
g carried across
now leaves the
carrier protein. &he
molecule cannot
enter the transport
protein, because
the protein is now
a diferent shape
and so it will not
't.
"""# biology$%$ dpress#com