Diffusion

Diffusion: The net movement of molecules or ions due to random motion from a region of their
higher concentration to a region of their lower concentration.
Diffusion is said of occur down a concentration gradient.
Random movement is due to the natural kinetic energy of molecules or ion.
Due to diffusion, molecules or ions tend to reach an equilibrium situation where they are evenly
spread out within a give volume of space.
The rate at which a substance diffuses across a membrane depends on a number of factors:
- The steepness of the concentration gradient: If there are many more molecules on one side of
a membrane than the other, then at any one time there will be more molecules moving from
one side to the other. Thus, the steeper the gradient, the faster the rate of diffusion.
- Temperature: At higher temperatures, the molecules or ions will gain more kinetic energy and
therefore, move more and diffuse through the membrane faster.
- The surface area:
The larger the surface area across which the diffusion takes place, the more molecules or
ions can cross it at any one moment. So, the larger the surface area, the faster the rate of
diffusion (microvilli and cristae take advantage of this).
The surface area : volume ratio decreases as the size of any 3D object increases and the
rate of diffusion falls proportionally to the square of the distance the particle must travel.
Thus, cells cannot be very large (50 micrometers) for substances to move through them
efficiently.
- The nature of the molecules or ions:
The larger the molecules, the more energy they need and the slower they diffuse. Water
molecules can diffuse through the membrane due to their small size.
Non-polar molecules can move between the phospholipid molecules through the membrane.
CO2 and O2 are both non-polar molecules.
Facilitated Diffusion
Facilitated Diffusion: The diffusion of substances through transport proteins in a cell membrane; the
proteins provide hydrophilic areas that allow the molecules or ions to pass through the membrane
which would otherwise be less permeable to them.
Large polar molecules, like glucose or amino acids, and ions, such as sodium and chlorine ions,
cannot diffuse through the phospholipid bilayer.
Two types of proteins help these particles diffuse through the membrane:
- Channel proteins:
They are water-filled pores, most of which are gated (part of them on the inside surface of
the cell membrane can open or close, controlling the exchange of ions).
Some occur in single proteins others are formed by several proteins combined.
Two of them are found in nerve cells (one for the Na ions, which enter to produce action
potential, and the other for the K ions, which exit to cause repolarisation).
- Carrier proteins:
They alternate between two shapes (open on onside or the other).
The direction of the diffusion depends on the concentration gradient. But, the rate depends on
how many proteins are available and open.
In cystic fibrosis, a defect causes chloride channels not to open and chloride ions are not able to
diffuse out of the cell surface membrane of certain cells (e.g. in lungs).