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Types Of Diffusion And Diffusion

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2) All plants and animals are made up of cells and all cells are surrounded by a membrane. Any ion or molecule that the cell needs to either use or get rid of requires the ability to move through the cell membrane. Diffusion in plant and animal cells is the spontaneous net movement of ions and molecules from an area of high concentration to an area of low concentration, this is also referred to as moving down a concentration gradient. The movement of molecules and ions during diffusion is known as passive transport because they move as a result of their own kinetic energy. Although the kinetic energy is random in its movement due to the concentration gradient there will be net movement until dynamic equilibrium is reached. The rate of diffusion depends on the distance the molecule needs to travel, temperature, solubility, concentration gradient and the size of the molecule. Diffusion is dependent on the molecules being able to pass through the cell membrane, however, diffusion does not require a membrane in order to take place.

There are three different types of diffusion:

Simple diffusion – some small molecules that are non-polar pass through a membrane.

Channel diffusion – larger, polar molecules are helped across the membrane by proteins that are embedded in the membrane creating a gateway for the molecules to pass through.

Facilitated diffusion – carrier proteins bind to certain molecules and release them on the other side of the membrane.

If cells need

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