Topics included:

➔ Simple diffusion
➔ Facilitated diffusion
➔ Active transport
➔ Osmosis
➔ Cell membrane

Movement in and out of cells ---> The process by which moleculues (gases, biomolecules, ions) that can be
small or simple, big or complex are going to move in and out the cell in different ways

Simple diffusion

➔ Diffusion ---> it is the movement of particles from a high concentration to a low concentration
down the concentration gradient ---> the difference between the concentration of molecules in
two zones/areas. In addition, it does not require energy to move the particles, it just uses the
kinetic energy. Therefore, it is a passive movement ---> cells do not need to use energy to move
molecules. Simple diffusion moves with the flow, meaning that it moves with the concentration
gradient

➔ Particles can be solids, gases or liquids

➔ Solution: it’s made up of two parts, the solute and the solvent. The solute dissolves in the
solvent.
➔ Solute: substance that dissolve in the solvent
➔ Solvent: substance that dissolves the solute
➔ Universal solvent: water is considered to be the Universal Solvent.
➔ Dilute solution: contains a lot of water molecules ---> high water potential
➔ Concentrated solution: contains fewer water molecules ---> low water potential

➔ Partially permeable membrane: it allows the movement of small molecules such as oxygen,
carbon dioxide and water through easily, but not larger molecules.
➔ Water - Gases - Carbon dioxide - Particles of a dissolved substance - aminoacids

Osmosis
 ➔ Special case of simple diffusion: Osmosis ---> is the movement of water molecules from a high
water potential to a low water potential down the water potential gradient.
Water molecules ---> water potential

Osmosis in plant and animal cells

Turgidity

➔ When plant cells are placed in water, the water enters the cell. This is because there is a water
potential gradient so that water molecules diffuse into the cell by osmosis.
➔ As water enters it makes the cell swell (hinchar) up. The water pushes against the cell wall
developing a turgor pressure ---> the pressure applied against the cell wall by the water inside
the cell. Eventually the cell contains as much water as it can hold, It is like a blown-up balloon.
The strong cell wall stops the cell bursting (muy llena). We say that the cell is turgid ---> when
the cell’s shape is defined by the water contained in it.
➔ Turgid cells give the plant support. They keep the stems of many plants upright. This is because
the cells within (dentro) a stem are supported by turgor pressure. The water pressure within
the cell acts against the inelastic cell walls, keeping the cells turgid and firm. However, when
these cells lose water, they are no longer firm and turgid. Plant stems and leaves that have lost
water wilt (marchitan).

Plasmolysis

➔ When pant cells are placed into a concentrated sugar or salt solution water passses out of the
cells by osmosis. As water passes out, the sap vacuole starts to shrink (encoger). These cells are
no longer firm, and become limp (flácida). We say yhat they are flaccid ---> when the cell’s shape
is bland and jelly-like because of the lack of water and shrinking of the vacuole. As more water
leaves the cells the cytoplasm starts to move away from the cell wall. These cells are now
plasmolysed ---> basically there’s so little water that the vacuole moves away from the cell walls
and more to the center of the cell.

Example: osmosis in a potato cell

9 cores from a potato were cut and placed in three different test-tubes.
 ➔ Test-tube A ---> distilled water
➔ Test-tube B ---> dilute sugar solution
➔ Test-tube C ---> concentrated sugar solution

Restults

➔ Test-tube A ---> As it was distilled water, the cells have absorbed water, swollen and caused the
potato core to get slightly longer.
➔ Test-tube B ---> As it was a dilute sugat solution, meaning that the water potential of the sugar
solution was about the same as the water potential of the cell sap in the potato cells, there has
been no overall diffusion of water into ot out of the cells so they have stayed about the same
length.
➔ Test-tube C ---> As it was a concentrated sugar solution, the cells have decreased in volume so
the whole potato core is shorter than at the start.

Osmosis in animal cells

Red blood cells were placed in different concentrations of a salt solution (different liquids). Their
cytoplasm is a concentrated solution of proteins, salts and sugars.

➔ The cells in D were in distilled water. Water passes into the cells by osmosis. However, animal
cells have no cell wall to stop them swelling so they burst (estallan). When red blood cells are put
into a concentrated salt soluton (F), they shrink (encogen) as water passses out of the cell by
 osmosis. The cells in E have not changed in size as they are in a solution which has the same
water potential as the cells. This is how they are in the blood when surrounded by blood plasma.

Facilitated diffusion

➔ Facilitated diffusion---> Movement of particles from a region of high concentration to a region

➔ Facilitated diffusion ---> transport or carrier protein ---> they are proteins inserted through the
cell membrane which make channels to let certain types of molecules move through the
membrane. Some of these transport proteins change shape to allow the molecules to move form
one side to the other. Molecules thar are transported through this channels are big proteins like
glucose or any other type of molecule which is polar.
➔ Water (aquaporins) - Glucose - Ions: for example, potassium - carbohydrates - lipids - enzymes

Active transport

➔ Active transport ---> is it the movement of particles or molecules from a region of low
concentration to a region of high concentration against the concentration gradient and it
requires energy to do the movement. The energy that the cell uses is a special type of energy, it
comes form a molecule called ATP (adenosine triphosphate). ATP (glucose + O2 ---> ATP + CO2 +
H2O) ---> cell energy molecule/currency. In addition, carrier proteins are needed. Each of them
have specific binding sites for the exact molecules they are transporting. By using energy from
respiration the protein carrier releases the substance on the other side of the membrane.

➔ Energy is released by the breaking down of the third phosphate in ATP.

➔ The cell membrane is semi permeable, meaning it lets some materials pass through but not
others
➔ The cell membrane controls what goes in and out the cell
 ➔ Fluid Mosaic Model ---> often how is described the cell membrane.
◆ Fluid: implies movement
◆ Mosaic: arranges many small pieces together to make some large piece

COMPONENTS

➔ Phospholipid bilayer ---> it’s a lipid, a lipid is nonpolar, but in this case, the head is polar and the
other part of it, the tail, is nonpolar.
➔ Polar head ----> hydrophilic which means that part loves water
➔ Nonpolar tails ---> hydrophobic which means they do not like water
➔ These phospholipids arrange themselves into a phospholipid bilayer with the nonpolar areas,
away from any water. It also allows this area in between to be separated form the inside and
outside. These phospholipids move around and gives the cell membrane flexibility.
➔ Cholesterol ---> If temperatures drop, the cholesterol can actually function kind of like spacers
between these phospholipids - keeping them away from becoming too packed. Or they can
actually work to connect phospholipids to keep them from becoming too fluid in warm
temperatures.
➔ Peripheral proteins ---> tend to be on the peripheral side of the membrane, they generally are
not going to go through the cell membrane, that is for integral proteins ---> they go through the
membrane. Peripheral proteins can sit on them. In addition, they can have an assortment of
functions such as acting as enzymes to speed up reactions or attaching to the cytoskeleton
structures to help with the cell shape.
➔ Integral proteins ---> are frequently involved in all kinds of transporting methods for all kinds
of materials.