Lab 3 Osmosis and Diffusion - Montana State University 实验3的渗透与扩散-蒙大拿州立大学.docVIP

Biology 115 (Survey of Biology Laboratory) Lab 4: Osmosis and Diffusion The plasma membrane enclosing every cell is the boundary that separates the cell from its external environment. It is not an impermeable barrier, but like all biological membranes, is selectively permeable, controlling which molecules move into and out of the cell. For example, nutrients enter the cell and waste products of metabolism leave. The cell takes in oxygen for respiration, and expels carbon dioxide. The membrane also regulates the concentration of ions by transporting them one way or the other across the plasma membrane. This regulation of every interaction with environment allows cells to maintain homeostasis, a steady internal state in changing conditions. Diffusion and passive transport: Molecules are in constant motion, moving around randomly (Brownian movement). One result of this random motion is diffusion, the net movement of molecules from an area where their concentration is high to an area where their concentration is lower. This is a spontaneous process, requiring no input of energy. In a liquid, a solute (dissolved substance) will diffuse in a solvent (dissolving agent, most often water in biological systems) and eventually become uniformly distributed. If a membrane separates the region of high concentration from the region of low concentration, the principle is the same. If a substance is more concentrated on one side of a membrane than on the other, it diffuses across the membrane from the region of higher concentration to the region of lower concentration, as long as the membrane is permeable to that substance. This is called passive transport, because it requires no energy to make it happen. Much of the movement of molecules across the cell membrane occurs this way. By comparison, active transport goes against the concentration gradient, and requires the input of energy. Remember that in either case, cell membranes are selectively permeable, and not al