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Plasma membrane filters what the cell needs and keeps out what will harm it. this property is called selective permeability.

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What makes phospholipids the prime structure for making a cell selectively permeable?

The property of phospholipids that makes them ideal for making up the selectively permeable cell membrane is their ability to form a lipid bilayer. A hydrophilic head and a hydrophobic tail play an important role in the cell membrane.


What is the process in which water diffuses through a selectively permeable membrane is called?

The process in which water diffuses through a selectively permeable membrane is called osmosis. Osmosis occurs when water molecules move from an area of higher water concentration to an area of lower water concentration to balance out solute concentrations on either side of the membrane.


How is the cell membrane selectively permeable?

The pores of the cell membrane only allow objects of a certain size or polarity through. The lipids that make up the membrane have a certain polarity at the head and tail and only certain objects are allowed through because of this.


What makes up the selectively premeable membrane that controls which molecules enter and leave the cell?

A cell's membrane is made up of a phospholipid bilayer which has several protein channels and various other transport mechanisms built in.


Which ions are permeable to phospholipids that make up the plasma membrane?

Small, uncharged molecules like oxygen and carbon dioxide are permeable to phospholipids in the plasma membrane, while ions such as sodium (Na+), potassium (K+), and chloride (Cl-) are not permeable due to their charge.


On which side of a selectively permeable membrane does osmosis exert pressure?

A selectively permeable membrane (also known as a differentially permeable membrane or a semi-permeable membrane) is permeable to the solvent but not to solutes.In cells, the solvent is always water.All cell membranes (such as plasma membranes and vacuole membranes) are selectively permeable.This means that water can cross these membranes by osmosis. This will happen when the total concentration of solutes on one side of the membrane is different from that on the other side.The process is passive (requiring no energy input) and you can think of it as being an attempt by nature to "even up" the difference. Water passes into the stronger solution, i.e. the one with the higher concentration of solutes. If equilibrium is reached, the process will stop.One example of the importance of osmosis: mature plant cells contain a central vacuole, holding an aqueous solution of various chemical compounds. These solutes create an osmotic pressurethat attracts water, swelling the vacuole and giving the cells turgor. The turgor of cells in well-watered plants holds up soft parts like leaves. If a plant lacks water, the vacuoles shrink and the leaves wilt.


Do the hydrophobic tails of plasma membrane promote osmosis?

No, the hydrophobic tails of the plasma membrane do not directly promote osmosis. Osmosis is the movement of water across a selectively permeable membrane from an area of high water concentration to an area of low water concentration. The hydrophilic heads of the plasma membrane allow water molecules to pass through, while the hydrophobic tails help maintain the structural integrity of the membrane.


What is a semi permeable membrane and how does it relate to cellular transport?

A semi-permeable membrane is a membrane which allows cells to pass through it. The cells which make up the membrane of the inside of the cheek of the human mouth, for example, are semi-permeable. This allows things, like nicotine for example, to be absorbed through the membrane walls while the walls maintain structural integrity.


How do water soluble molecules enter or exit a cell?

Water molecules move by osmosis through the cell membrane which is a selectively permeable membrane. Since the middle of the lipid bilayer is hydrophobic, the movement of water is made possible by water channels or aquaporins in the membrane.


Which type of membrane surrounds a cell?

this is the cell membrane made primarily of lipid molecules with proteins incorporated into it that aid in transport of molecules across the membrane


What is a Simple definition of a cell membrane?

The cell membrane is a thin, semi-permeable barrier that surrounds the cell and controls what enters and exits the cell. It is made up of lipids and proteins and helps maintain the cell's internal environment by selectively allowing substances to pass through.


What is the osmosis definition?

"Osmosis is the diffusion of a solvent (frequently water) through a semi-permeable membrane, from a solution of low solute concentration (high water potential) to a solution with high solute concentration (low water potential), up a solute concentration gradient."