PASSIVE TRANSPORT

 Passive transport, also known as

passive diffusion, is a process by
which an ion or molecules passes
through a cell wall via a concentration
Definition of
gradient, or from an area of high
concentration to an area of low
Passive concentration.
Transport  requires no extra energy by the cell
because molecules move from high
concentration (squished together) to
low concentration (spread out) areas
down the concentration gradient.
 Types of Diffusion
Passive Osmosis
Transport Facilitated Diffusion
  The spreading out of molecules
across a membrane until they are
equally concentrated on both sides
of the membrane.
DIFFUSION  Molecules move down a
concentration gradient, from
high to an area of low.
 Ex. Oxygen and Carbon Dioxide

Over time…
  A transport protein acts as a
protein channel to help (facilitate)
the diffusion of molecules that
normally couldn‘t pass through the
FACILITATED cell membrane

DIFFUSION  Molecules move down a

concentration gradient, from
high to an area of low.
 Ex. Glucose/sugar, sodium/salt
Over time…
  The diffusion of water across the
cell membrane

OSMOSIS  Water molecules move down a

concentration gradient, from
high to an area of low.

Over time…
  Hypertonic solutions: water
concentration is below what is found in
a cell’s cytoplasm.
 Water will tend to move out of the cell,
down its concentration gradient  Cell
shrivels

OSMOSIS  Hypotonic solutions: water

concentration is above what is found in
a cell’s cytoplasm.
 Water will tend to move into a cell, down
its concentration gradient  Cell swells
 Isotonic solutions: identical water
concentrations to what is found in a
cell’s cytoplasm  Cell stays the same
 Hypertonic Hypotonic Isotonic

H2O H2O H2 O
H2 O
H2O
H2O

Cell shrivels Cell swells Cell stays the

same