Simple Diffusion Lab Report

Osmosis is a process where the solvent molecules pass through a semipermeable membrane from an area of high concentration to an area of low concentration until it reaches equilibrium. These solvent molecules, typically water, move freely. Carbon dioxide is able to move across the cell membrane through a process called simple diffusion. This works in a similar manner, carbon dioxide is able to move freely across the cell membrane from low to high concentration. When oxygen is breathed in, the red blood cells in the lungs have a low concentration of oxygen and a high concentration of carbon dioxide. Once the new oxygen molecules come into contact with the red blood cells they diffuse into the cells and down the concentration gradient and the carbon dioxide diffuses out of the red blood cells and out of the lungs.

Both osmosis and simple diffusion of CO2 are processes that involve the movement of materials across a membrane. As for osmosis, it requires water in order to experience this movement where as simple diffusion of CO2 doesn’t require any additional help.

Aquaporins are integral proteins that aid in the transfer of water across membranes via a channel. Since they only allow water to pass through, this does

Carrier proteins are involved in the movement of small molecules across a membrane. They are able to bind the solute to one side of the membrane and transfer/ release it on the other side of the membrane. In doing so the proteins undergo a conformational change that allows for the transfer of the molecules. Channel proteins transport substances through the membrane with either facilitated diffusion or secondary active transport. These proteins are found in the phospholipid bilayer and can be ligand gated, or voltage gated. They allow the passage of solutes without changing much of the conformation of the protein itself; they use pores to allow the solutes to diffuse