Hydrophilic molecules attract water by making hydrogen bonds with the surrounding water

molecules. Hydrophobic molecules repel/ don’t attract water and don’t make hydrogen bonds
with the surrounding water molecules.

Cell membranes are composed of phospholipids. They make a fluid membrane when they come
into contact with water, by forming a phospholipid bilayer. The hydrophilic phosphate heads are
attracted to water which makes them face the exterior. The hydrophilic tails repel water which
makes them face the interior of the membrane (the tails face each other).

The hydrocarbon tails in fatty acid chains can be unsaturated by having double C-C bonds,
which causes a kink in the tail. This causes the bilayer to have gaps in areas, which contributes
to the fluidity of the membrane.

In the trachea there are goblet cells which produce mucus, which traps pathogens and debris.
The epithelial cells in the trachea and bronchi have cilia which waft the mucus to expel the
debris, by coughing.

The lungs have a very large number of alveoli which greatly increase the surface area of the
lungs, increasing the rate of diffusion. The walls of the alveoli are one cell thick which reduces
diffusion distance. The walls of the alveoli are moist which allows gases to dissolve which
increases the rate of diffusion. There are many capillaries which increase the amount of o2 that
diffuses in and co2 that diffuses out. The capillaries are only one cell thick which reduces
diffusion distance. There is a constant flow of blood in these capillaries which maintains a steep
concentration gradient which increases the rate of diffusion.