Amphiphilic

compounds in aqueous solu=on

Extended planar aggregate

Spheroidal aggregate
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Amphiphilic compounds in aqueous solu=on

Space-lling model of a micelle

Twenty molecules of the detergent octyl glucoside

Note: actual micelles and bilayers are irregular and rapidly uctua+ng
(unlike the idealized cartoon drawings)
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Colliga=ve proper=es

Physical proper.es that depend on the concentra.on of dissolved substances rather than on
their chemical features

Solutes cause freezing point depression and

boiling point eleva=on, making it more
dicult for water molecules to crystallize as
ice or to escape from solu=on into the gas
phase
Solute concentra=on also aects osmo=c
pressure
Water moves by osmosis, and solutes move by
diusion
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Colliga=ve proper=es
hVp://2012books.lardbucket.org/books/principles-of-general-chemistry-v1.0/s17-05-colliga=ve-proper=es-of-solu.html

Fluid inside cells and surrounding cells in mul=cellular organisms is full of dissolved substances
ranging from small inorganic ions to huge molecular aggregates
THINK OF CELLS AS SEMI-PERMEABLE SACS
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Colliga=ve proper=es

OSMOSIS: movement of solvent across membrane from a region of high concentra.on (here
pure water) to a region of lower concentra.on (water containing dissolved solute)
Concentra=on in terms of solvent
OSMOTIC PRESSURE

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Osmo=c pressure

Pressure that must be applied to the solu=on to prevent the inward ow of water; it is propor=onal
to the concentra=on of solute
For a 1M solu=on, the osmo=c pressure is 22.4 atm
Tonicity: measure of osmo=c pressure gradient
Animal cells surrounded by solu=on of similar osmo=c pressure (so there is no net ow of water)
Plants/bacteria enclose cell with rigid cell wall that can withstand osmo=c pressure generated
within

Cells in high solute concentra=on solu=on

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Dialysis: diusion of solutes

Membrane permeable to both water and solutes: basis of laboratory technique called DIALYSIS
Tendency of solutes to diuse
from area of high concentra=on
to area of low concentra=on
thermodynamically favoured due
to increase in entropy

down a
concentra=on
gradient

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DIALYSIS IN THE LAB

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Kidney dialysis pumps blood through a machine with a semi-permeable membrane enclosing
a dialysate uid to collect crea=ne and urea (present at high concentra=ons in blood); excess
water also removed. Cleansed blood is pumped back into the pa=ent.
DIALYSIS IN THE CLINIC

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Water
All aspects of cell structure and func=on are adapted to the physical and chemical
proper=es of water

Biological solvent
Par=cipant in chemical reac=ons
Biological template
Buered solu=ons

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