Bioelectricpotentials refers to the electrical, magnetic or electromagnetic fields produced

by living cells, tissues or organisms. Bioelectric potentials are generated by a variety of

biological processes and generally range in strength from one to a few hundred millivolts.
Biological cells use bioelectricity to store metabolic energy, to do work or trigger internal
changes and to signal one another. Bioelectricity is the electric current produced by action
potentials along with the magnetic fields they generate through the phenomenon of
electromagnetism.
Bioelectric potentials are identical with the potentials produced by devices such as
batteries or generators. In nearly all cases, however, a bioelectric current consists of a flow of
ions (i.e., electrically charged atoms or molecules), whereas the electric current used for
lighting, communication, or power is a movement of electrons.
If two solutions with different concentrations of an ion are separated by a membrane that
blocks the flow of the ions between them, the concentration imbalance gives rise to an electricpotential difference between the solutions. In most solutions, ions of a given electric charge are
accompanied by ions of opposite charge, so that the solution itself has no net charge. If two
solutions of different concentrations are separated by a membrane that allows one kind of ion to
pass but not the other, the concentrations of the ion that can pass will tend to equalize by
diffusion, producing equal and opposite net charges in the two solutions.
In living cells the two solutions are those found inside and outside the cell. The cell
membrane separating inside from outside is semi permeable, allowing certain ions to pass
through while blocking others. In particular, nerve- and muscle-cell membranes are slightly
permeable to positive potassium ions, which diffuse outward, leaving a net negative charge in
the cell.
The bioelectric potential across a cell membrane is typically about 50 mill volts; this
potential is known as the resting potential. All cells use their bioelectric potentials to assist or
control metabolic processes, but some cells make specialized use of bioelectric potentials and
currents for distinctive physiological functions, such as the nerve cell.