chapter 2 Flashcards
movement of substances
what are biological membranes
membrane found in living cells
examples of biological membranes
- plasma membrane
- cell membranes
function of plasma membrane
- separates the contents of the cell from their external environment
- ensures the maintenance of constant internal environment within the cell
function of cell membranes
form separate compartments for specific metabolic processes
components of membrane
- lipids
- proteins
- carbohydrates
type of lipid
phospholipids
what is hydrophilic
substances that are attracted to water
(soluble in water)
what is hydrophobic
substances that are not attracted to water
(insolube in water)
what do phospholipids consists of
- hydrophilic phosphate head
- 2 hydrophobic hydrocarbon phosphate tail
what is amphipathic
substances that is part hydrophilic part hydrophobic
what happens when phospholipid molecules are surrounded on all sides by water
become arranged in a bilayer
what forms the core of a membrane
the hydrophobic hydrocarbon chains/tails of the phospholipids
what are the 2 major populations of membrane proteins
- integral protein
- peripheral protein
what is concentration gradient
difference in concentration between 2 regions
what is diffusion
net movement of particles from a region of higher concentration to a region of lower concentration down a concentration gradient until equilibrium is reached
2 types of transport
- passive
- active
types of passive transport
- simple diffusion
- facilitated diffusion
- osmosis
what is passive transport
- passive process which take place as mloecules move randomly
- no energy input provided by hydrolysis of ATP is required
factors affecting the rate of diffusion
- concentration gradient
- diffusion distance
- temperature
- surface area-to-volume ratio
steeper concentration gradient
faster the rate of diffusion
what is diffusion distance
the time taken for a substance to move from one point to another depending on the distance between 2 points
larger the diffusion distance
the slower the rate of diffusion
(more distance needed to travel)
higher temperature
faster the rate of diffusion
what is surface area-to-volume ratio
the rate of movement of a substance across a plasma membrane depending on how large the cell membrane is