Passive Transport

These flashcards cover vocabulary and key concepts related to passive transport, diffusion, and osmosis.

Brownian Motion

The constant random movement of molecules, even in a solid, due to thermal energy.

Net Movement

The movement of molecules in a specific direction caused by imbalances in pressure, temperature, or concentration.

Percent Concentration

The ratio of solute and solvent in a solution, which always adds up to 100%.

Molarity

A measure of the concentration of solute in a solution, higher molarity indicates more solute.

Concentration Gradient

The process of molecules moving from an area of high concentration to an area of low concentration.

Passive Transport

The movement of molecules across a membrane without the use of energy, typically from high to low concentration.

Active Processes

Transport mechanisms that require energy, moving substances against their concentration gradient (from low to high concentration).

Simple Diffusion

The process where molecules spread evenly into available space, moving from high concentration to low concentration until equilibrium is reached.

Dialysis

The diffusion of solutes across a semipermeable membrane from high concentration to low concentration.

Osmosis

The diffusion of water across a semipermeable membrane from an area of higher water concentration to an area of lower water concentration.

Tonicity

The relative concentration of solutes in two solutions separated by a membrane.

Hypertonic Solution

A solution with a higher concentration of solutes compared to another solution.

Hypotonic Solution

A solution with a lower concentration of solutes compared to another solution.

Isotonic Solution

A solution that has the same concentration of solutes as another solution.

Crenation

The process by which cells shrink in a hypertonic solution due to loss of water.

Lysis

The swelling and bursting of cells in a hypotonic solution due to an influx of water.

Facilitated Diffusion

The process by which large molecules pass through a membrane via protein channels without requiring energy.

Channel Proteins

Proteins that form tubes in the plasma membrane to allow ions or polar molecules to pass through.

Carrier Proteins

Proteins that bind to specific substances and transport them across the membrane.