BRAINCAKEOsmosis
Osmosis is the passage of water from a region where it has a higher water potential to a region where it has a lower water potential through a selectively permeable membrane.
The cell membrane is permeable to water molecules. Although water is a polar molecule, it is small enough to pass through the phospholipid bilayer.
Water moves across the phospholipid bilayer in both directions.
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Key terms in this lesson
- phospholipid
- A lipid in which one fatty acid is replaced by a phosphate group, giving a hydrophilic head and hydrophobic tails.
More in Transport Across Cell Membranes
- Facilitated Diffusion
- Protein Channels
- Carrier Proteins
- Water Potentital Φ
- Osmosis in Animal Cells
- Osmosis in Plant Cells
- Active Transport
- Sodium-Potassium Pump
All 22 lessons in Transport Across Cell Membranes · All AQA AS-level Biology topics