A semipermeable membrane, also termed a selectively permeable membrane, a partially permeable membrane or a differentially permeable membrane, is a membrane which will allow certain
molecules or
ions to pass through it by
diffusion and occasionally specialized "
facilitated diffusion". The rate of passage depends on the
pressure,
concentration and
temperature of the molecules or
solutes on either side, as well as the permeability of the membrane to each solute.Depending on the membrane and the solute, permeability may depend on solute size,
solubility, properties, or chemistry. An example of a semi-permeable membrane is a
lipid bilayer, on which is based the
plasma membrane that surrounds all
biological cells. Many natural and synthetic materials thicker than a membrane are also semipermeable. An example of this is the thin film on the inside of an
egg.
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