Diffusion
- It is a transport in which it dissolves a
certain substances move from of a
higher concentration to lower
concentration with no external energy
involved.
Types of Diffusion
- Diffusion can be classified into two main
types: Simple diffusion and Facilitated
diffusion.
Simple Diffusion
- Simple diffusion is the movement of
molecules through a cell membrane
without using the channels formed by
integral membrane protein.
- For example, bacteria deliver small
nutrients, water and oxygen into the
cytoplasm through simple diffusion.
Facilitated Diffusion
- Facilitated diffusion is a passive
movement of molecules across the cell
membrane from the region of higher
concentration to the region of lower
concentration by means of a carrier
molecule.
Causes of Diffusion
- Diffusion is a natural and physical
process, which happens on its own,
without stirring or shaking the solutions.
Liquid and gases undergo diffusion as
the molecules are able to move
randomly. The molecules collide with
each other and change their direction.
Significance of Diffusion
- During the process of respiration, this
process helps in diffusing the carbon
dioxide gas out through the cell
membrane into the blood.
- Diffusion also occurs in plant cells. In all
green plants, water present in the soil
diffuses into plants through their root hair
cells.
- The movement of ions across the
neurons that generates electrical charge
is due to diffusion.
Examples of Diffusion
- Perfume diffuses throughout an entire
room.
- When you put a sugar cube in a glass of
water and after a while the sugar cube
will dissolve having a low concentration.
- A tea bag immersed in a cup of hot water
will diffuse into the water and change its
colour.
Osmosis
- Osmosis is the movement of water
molecules from a solution with a high
concentration of water molecules to a
solution with a lower concentration of
water molecules, through a cell’s partially
permeable membrane.
Key Points
Process of Osmosis
- Semipermeable membranes, like those
found in animal and plant cells, separate
the interior of the cell from what is
outside the cell. The process of osmosis
moves water molecules across the
semipermeable membrane when there is
a concentration gradient such that there
are different concentrations of solute on
each side of the biological membrane.
- Osmotic pressure will simply move the
water molecules across the membrane
until the solute (the molecule dissolved in
the water) reaches equilibrium. At this
point, the amount of solute and solvent
(water) are equal on each side of the
membrane.
- For example, consider a solution of salt
water where salt is dissolved in water
across a membrane. If there is a higher
concentration of salt on one side of the
membrane, the water moves from the
less salty side across the membrane to
the saltier side until both sides of the
membrane are equally salty.
Significance of Osmosis
- Osmosis affects nutrition delivery and
metabolic waste product discharge.
- It keeps the balance between water and
intercellular fluid levels in a living
organism's internal environment stable.
- It maintains the turgidity of cells.
- This process controls the cell to cell
diffusion of water.
- It is responsible for the absorption of
water from the soil and conducting it to
the upper parts of the plant through the
xylem.
- It is essential for the survival of a cell.
- Involved in the movement of water
molecules between the cell and cell
organelles.
- Diffusion and osmosis are both passive
transport processes that act to equalise
the concentration of a solution.
- In diffusion, particles move from an area
of higher concentration to one of lower
concentration until equilibrium is
reached. In osmosis, a semipermeable
membrane is present, so only the solvent
molecules are free to move to equalise
concentration.
- Both osmosis and diffusion equalise the
concentration of two solutions.
- Both diffusion and osmosis are passive
transport processes, which means they
do not require any input of extra energy
to occur.
- In both diffusion and osmosis, particles
move from an area of higher
concentration to one of lower
concentration.
- One big difference between osmosis and
diffusion is that both solvent and solute
particles are free to move in diffusion, but
when we talk about osmosis, only the
solvent molecules (water molecules)
cross the membrane.