Cell Membrane Transport and Diffusion

Flashcards for reviewing key concepts related to cell membranes, transport mechanisms, diffusion, and related definitions.

Cell

The smallest system of matter and energy that regulates its own environment to grow and reproduce.

Extracellular fluid

Fluid located outside of cells.

Intracellular fluid

Fluid contained within cells.

Osmosis

The net diffusion of water through a membrane.

Diffusion

The random movement of a particle in space caused by collisions with other particles.

Concentration Gradient

A difference in concentration between two regions of space.

Active Transport

When a protein uses energy to move a specific type of solute from a region of low concentration to a region of high concentration.

Facilitated Diffusion

The diffusion of a solute through a protein in the cell membrane.

Channel Protein

A protein that forms a pore in the cell membrane, through which a specific type of solute can diffuse.

Carrier Protein

A protein that binds a specific type of solute and transports this solute through a cell membrane by changing conformation.

Polarity

The distribution of electrical charge over the atoms in a molecule, influencing how substances interact with the membrane.

Electrochemical Gradient

A combination of a concentration gradient and an electrical gradient caused by an imbalance of ions between two regions.

Sodium/Potassium ATPase

An enzyme that pumps sodium out of and potassium into cells, crucial for maintaining cellular function.

Net Diffusion

A change in a concentration gradient caused by the movement of particles from a region of high concentration to a region of low concentration.

Amphiphilic

A molecule having both a nonpolar, hydrophobic region and a polar, hydrophilic region.

Permeability

A measure of how easily a solute passes through a membrane.