Diffusion in Biology (CIE IGCSE Biology)
Revision Note
Author
LáraExpertise
Biology Lead
Diffusion
What is Diffusion in Biology?
- Diffusion is the movement of molecules from a region of its higher concentration to a region of its lower concentration
- Molecules move down a concentration gradient, as a result of their random movement
Diffusion across the cell membrane
- For living cells, the principle of the movement down a concentration gradient is the same, but the cell is surrounded by a cell membrane which can restrict the free movement of the molecules
- The cell membrane is a partially permeable membrane - this means it allows some molecules to cross easily, but others with difficulty or not at all
- The simplest sort of selection is based on the size of the molecules
- Diffusion helps living organisms to:
- obtain many of their requirements
- get rid of many of their waste products
- carry out gas exchange for respiration
Examples of diffusion in living organisms
- You will need to learn examples of substances that organisms obtain by diffusion
- Don’t forget that plants require oxygen for respiration at all times, as well as carbon dioxide for photosynthesis when conditions for photosynthesis are right (e.g. enough light and a suitable temperature)
Examples of Diffusion Table
Where does the energy for diffusion come from?
- All particles move randomly at all times
- This is known as Brownian motion
- The energy for diffusion comes from the kinetic energy of this random movement of molecules and ions
Brownian motion
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