Research Paper

Diffusion by Nifemi
Diffusion is the movement of a substance from an area of high

concentration to an area of lower concentration. It occurs in liquids and
gases when their particles randomly collide and spread out. Diffusion is
a vital process for living creatures as it is how substances move in and
out of cells.
Why is it different depending on the State of Matter?

This is simply because solids are in a fixed position and can only vibrate
on the spot so it is not able to spread but liquids and gases are not in a
fixed position which therefore means it is able to diffuse from the higher
concentration to lower concentration. For example, if you spray
deodorant (gas) in the centre of your room upstairs, that centre will be
the area of high concentration and your door or a far corner will be the
area of lower concentration before it eventually spreads throughout the
whole house. An example to show high concentration and lower
concentration is putting skittles on the edge of a plate then pouring hot
water on them. The water where the skittle is or very close to it, the
water will be darker which is high concentration and in the middle will
be lighter which shows the lower concentration.
What can affect the process of diffusion?

There are two factors that can affect the process of diffusion. One of
which is the type of substance. Substances diffuse quicker through gases
rather than liquids. This is due to the particles in a gas being more spread
out and they move quicker. The other factor which affects diffusion is
temperature. The hotter the gas or liquid, the faster the diffusion
happens. This is due to the particles have more energy and move faster
at higher temperatures.
Types of diffusion
Diffusion is widely used in various fields such as biology, physics,
chemistry. Diffusion can be classified into two main types: Simple
diffusion and facilitated diffusion. Simple diffusion is the process in
which the substance moves through a semipermeable membrane or in a
solution without any help from transport proteins. For example, bacteria
deliver small nutrients, water and oxygen into the cytoplasm through
simple diffusion. Facilitated diffusion is a passive movement of
molecules across the cell membrane from the region of higher
concentration to the region of lower concentration by means of a carrier
molecule.
Dialysis: It is the diffusion of solutes across a selectively permeable
membrane. A selectively permeable membrane is the one that allows
only specific ions and molecules to pass through, while it obstructs the
movement of others.
Osmosis: It is the movement of solvent molecules from the region of
lower concentration to the region of higher concentration through a
semipermeable membrane. Since water is solvent in every living being,
biologists define osmosis as the diffusion of water across a selectively
permeable membrane. For example, plants take water and minerals from
roots with the help of osmosis.
Significance of diffusion
Diffusion is an important process, which is involved in the different life
processes. As mentioned above, it is the net movement of particles, ions,
molecules, solution, etc. In all living species, diffusion plays an
important role in the movement of the molecules during the metabolic
process in the cells. Diffusion is important for the following reasons:
During the process of respiration, this process helps in diffusing the
carbon dioxide gas out through the cell membrane into the blood,
diffusion also occurs in plant cells. In all green plants, water present in
the soil diffuses into plants through their root hair cells and the
movement of ions across the neurons that generates electrical charge is
due to diffusion.
The difference between diffusion and osmosis

Osmosis
It is limited only to the liquid medium.
Requires a semipermeable membrane
Depends on the number of solute particles dissolved in the solvent.
Requires water for the movement of particles
Only the solvent molecules can diffuse.
The flow of particles occurs only in one direction
The entire process can either be stopped or reversed by applying
additional pressure on the solution side.
Occurs only between similar types of solutions
It involves the movement of only solvent molecules from one side to the
other.
The concentration of the solvent does not become equal on both sides of
the membrane.
Depends on solute potential.
Only water or another solvent moves from a region of high energy or
concentration to a region of lower energy or concentration.
Not associated with uptake of minerals and nutrients.
Diffusion
It helps in the uptake of minerals and nutrients.
Any type of substance moves from area of highest energy or
concentration to region of lowest energy or concentration.
Does not depend on solute potential, pressure potential, or water
potential.
The concentration of the diffusion substance equalizes to fill the
available space.
It involves the movement of all the particles from one region to the
other.
Occurs between the similar and dissimilar types of solutions.
This process can neither be stopped nor reversed.
The flow of particles occurs in all the directions.
Both the molecules of solute and solvent can diffuse.
Does not require water for the movement of particles
Depends on the presence of other particles.
Does not require a semipermeable membrane.
Occurs in liquid, gas and even solids.
Conclusion on the difference between diffusion and

osmosis
To incorporate the movement of molecules in and out of the cell, two
types of transport systems exist, namely osmosis and diffusion. These
two systems are passive transport systems as they do not require any
additional energy to function (however, facilitated diffusion requires
ATP). The primary differentiating factor between the two systems is the
medium in which they are employed. Osmosis can only function in a
liquid medium, but diffusion can occur in all three mediums (solid,
liquid and gas). Furthermore, osmosis requires a semi-permeable
membrane, while diffusion does not. The intake of water in plants is an
example of osmosis. Diffusion is observed when a drop of food
colouring is added to a glass of water, where eventually, the entire water
content becomes coloured.
Diffusion in plants
Plants need water, minerals, and food for their growth and survival.
Water and minerals are taken up by roots and leaves prepare the food.
These are then transported to the other parts of the plants. When we talk
about transport, there should be some means of transportation. Diffusion
is the main pathway of transportation in plants. Diffusion is a very
important process for photosynthesis where carbon dioxide from the
stomata diffuses into the leaves and finally into the cells. Also, during
transpiration, the water and oxygen diffuse from the leaves into the
environment. It includes the movement of particles of a medium from
the region of its higher concentration to the region of its lower
concentration without the expenditure of energy. This process is slow
and occurs mostly in gases and liquids. The rate of diffusion is affected
by various factors like temperature and pressure, concentration gradient,
separating membrane’s permeability etc. Transportation in plants is an
important and natural phenomenon which takes place in all the higher
plants. All plants require some essential organic material and inorganic
material for the proper functioning of cells and tissues. This process is
carried out by three means of transport. Diffusion, facilitated diffusion
and active transport. The process of diffusion is important for the plants
in the following ways:
The exchange of gases through stomata takes place by the process of
diffusion.
Transpiration occurs by the principle of diffusion.
The ions are absorbed by simple diffusion.
The food material is translocated by this process.
This process keeps the walls of the internal tissues of the plant moist.
It is responsible for spreading the ions and molecules throughout the
protoplast.
Aroma of flowers is due to the diffusion of aromatic compounds to
attract insects.
Examples of diffusion
A tea bag immersed in a cup of hot water will diffuse into the water and
change its colour.
A spray of perfume or room freshener will get diffused into the air by
which we can sense the odour.
Sugar gets dissolved evenly and sweetens the water without having to
stir it.
As we light the incense stick, its smoke gets diffused into the air and
spreads throughout the room.
By adding boiling water into the dried noodles, the water diffuses
causing rehydration and making dried noodles plumper and saturated.
Overall conclusion
We have concluded that diffusion does work and is a very effective but
delicate process. It has to do with certain uncompromisable variables,
such as the thickness of the molecule, state of which the molecule is in,
and the permeability of the area into which it is diffusing. Thanks to our
experiments, we have learned that Diffusion is a process that can happen
very rapidly, but may take some time to evenly disperse the chemicals
into the area. We also learned, due to our research, that diffusion
happens faster in molecules with a higher energy level. If you take a
glass of cold water and put food coloring in it, it would take much longer
than if you put food coloring in a glass of warm water. Osmosis and
diffusion are the two different types of passive transport, which play a
vital role in moving molecules in and out of the cell.

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Diffusion by Nifemi

Diffusion is the movement of a substance from an area of high

Why is it different depending on the State of Matter?

What can affect the process of diffusion?

The difference between diffusion and osmosis

Conclusion on the difference between diffusion and

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