Explain what a concentration gradient is and what it means for a molecule to diffus down its concentration gradient?

Answer 1

If you carefully put a drop of food coloring in a large container, you will notice that it will begin to move away from the place where the drop began. It actually, over a long time, it will diffuse all through the container. If the container is very large you may not even see the color any more. Since it moves away from the main drop, it is moving down the concentration gradient.

Answer 2

it means that a molecule goes from an area of higher concentration to an area of lower concentration.

for example, if I had one liter of 10M concentration of H+ ions on one side of a membrane, and on the other side was two liters of 0M concentration H+ (no H+), H+ would have a electrochemical gradient. As H+ diffuses down its concentration gradient, the H+ from the 10M side would enter the 0M side until they reach equilibrium, where H+ flows from either side at the same rate, with both sides having 10/3 M concentration

Answer 3

This means that a molecule will go from where there are a lot of the same molecules (highly concentrated), to where there is only a few of those same molecules (low cocentration).