Let ’ s move !

3.7 Describe passive transport.

Phospholipid Bilayer
Who remembers what the function of the cell
membrane is?
It allows certain substances in and out of the
cell
If you remember, what types of membrane
proteins allow substances to move in and out
of the cell?
 HINT: The proteins are made of both hydrophilic
and hydrophobic amino acids
Transport Proteins!!
Phospholipid Bilayer
Many substances move in and out of the cell
membrane without the use of transport
proteins
They do this through a process called
molecular transport
Break it down “Molecular” + “Transport”
There are two different types of molecular
transport:
Passive Transport
Active Transport
Passive vs. Active
Transport
Passive Transport – Movement across the
cell membrane that does NOT require energy
Ex. Diffusion, Osmosis, Facilitated Diffusion
Active Transport – Movement across the cell
membrane that DOES require energy
Ex. Sodium-Potassium Pump

What is the difference between an active and
passive person?
Passive Transport:
Thought Experiment
Imagine there are 100 bouncing rubber balls in
my room
We open the door to the prep room
What is going to happen?
Passive Transport
This is exactly how passive transport works,
except that the door we opened is really the
selectively permeable cell membrane
A substance wants to reach equilibrium
What word is in equilibrium?
Equilibrium – the concentration of a substance
is equal throughout a space
In our case, there is equal amounts of a
substance inside and outside of a cell
Concentration Gradient
In order for this to reach equilibrium, what has
to happen?



The substance must move from a higher
concentration, where there is more, to a
lower concentration where there is less
Concentration Gradient – A difference in the
concentration of a substance across a space

See-Saw Diagram
A substance is said to move DOWN it’s
concentration gradient when it’s reaching
equilibrium
Note: This has nothing to do with the actual
direction that the molecules are moving


You can represent a concentration gradient

with a see-saw diagram
Let’s draw one together to show how
substances move down
S e e -S a w D ia g ra m
20 H20 2 H20

2 H20 20 H20

11 H20 11 H20
Diffusion
Diffusion – Movement of a substance from
higher concentration to lower concentration
caused by the random movement of particles
This eventually leads to equilibrium

Now we’ll do a demonstration with water and
food coloring
Diffusion
Many molecules and ions that are dissolved in
the cytoplasm move in and out of the cell by
diffusion
Why would a substance diffuse out of a cell?
There is a higher concentration inside the cell
Why would a substance diffuse in to a cell?
There is a higher concentration outside the
cell
The process of diffusion across the cell
membrane can only occur for very small or
non-polar molecules
Osmosis
Osmosis is the diffusion of water through a
selectively permeable membrane
How do molecules move in diffusion?
From a higher concentration to a lower
concentration
Down it’s concentration gradient (see-saw)
This means that osmosis is a form of passive
transport
Osmosis
Osmosis can get tricky…
It’s not really a measure of how many water
molecules are inside or outside of a cell
We are more interested in the other substances
(like salt) that are dissolved in the water.
If there is a high concentration of salt, then there
is a low concentration of water.
If there is an area with a low concentration of salt
it’s because there is a high concentration of
water.
So the water will diffuse from the high
concentration of water (with low amounts of
salt) to the low concentration of water (with
high amounts of salt).
Osmosis: Key Points
It’s all about the diffusion of FREE water
molecules from a higher concentration to a
lower concentration
More substances being dissolved means less
free water molecules – a lower concentration
of free water
So water moves from a low concentration of
dissolved substances to a high concentration
of dissolved substances
Osmosis is a form of passive transport and
does not require energy
With a partner
answer the
questions at the
end of your notes .