Diffusion And Diffusion Essay

The overall purpose of the experiments in this lab was to introduce the function and structure of the plasma membrane, describe the workings of diffusion and osmosis, and to demonstrate how different factors such as particle size, temperature, and space of diffusion area affect the rate of diffusion. With the results from the experiments, it can be concluded that all of the factors listed do affect diffusion, and there may be many more than are unaccounted for. Through the osmosis experiment, it was clear that water moved into the cell due to a lack of water and an excess of solute; in the environment, there was an excess of water and a lack of solute. The biochemical testing relayed information about what minerals, particles, elements, or

The same was true for diffusion in a liquid. The cold water diffused at a much slower rate than the room temperature water did. Though the gel and liquid are two different states of matter, the experiments both help solidify how diffusion works in different temperature settings. Diffusion in air allowed small particles to travel across a large distance until it was diffused across the entirety of the room. Due to the size of the particles, the spray was able to travel at a fairly fast rate to reach every individual at each table. The further away from the spray point a table was, though, the longer it took to smell the spray. The filtration experiment was vital to observe the way different sizes of particles diffuse or filter. The charcoal, which consisted of large particles, did not filter through, while the copper sulfate, which was very small in size, dissolved in the water (solvent) and diffused completely. Size is a major component to take into consideration when thinking about diffusion or

The blood brain barrier is a major part of the body, the nervous system being the system that functions within this process (Ballabh et al. 2003). The barrier is a selective membrane that helps protect the brain from harmful substances in the blood (Ballabh et al. 2003) from getting into the brain and possibly harming the entire nervous system. Without the blood brain barrier, many different particles that are not meant to be in the brain could cause major issues and bring the body out of homeostasis. “It is therefore essential that the interface between the CNS and the peripheral circulatory system functions as a dynamic regulator of ion balance, a facilitator of nutrient transport, and a barrier to potentially harmful molecules” (Hawkins and Davis 2005). Just like a selectively permeable plasma membrane of a cell, both the kidney and the blood brain barrier help protect organs, maintain homeostasis throughout the body, and transfer nutrients that are needed for proper