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Diffusion vs. Transport. In biology, an ion transporter is a transmembrane protein that moves ions (or other small molecules) across a biological membrane to accomplish many different biological functions, including cellular communication, maintaining homeostasis, energy production, etc. [1] There are different types of transporters including pumps, uniporters, antiporters, and symporters.
Ions consisting of only a single atom are termed atomic or monatomic ions, while two or more atoms form molecular ions or polyatomic ions. In the case of physical ionization in a fluid (gas or liquid), "ion pairs" are created by spontaneous molecule collisions, where each generated pair consists of a free electron and a positive ion. [ 5 ]
Ions often move through the segments of the channel pore in a single file nearly as quickly as the ions move through the free solution. In many ion channels, passage through the pore is governed by a "gate", which may be opened or closed in response to chemical or electrical signals, temperature, or mechanical force. [citation needed]
Potassium ion channels play a key role in maintaining the membrane's electric potential. These ion channels are present in many various biological systems. They frequently play a role in regulation of cellular level processes, many of these processes including muscle relaxation, hypertension, insulin secretion etc. [7] Some examples of potassium ion channels within biological systems include K ...
The structure of the complex of sodium (Na +) and the antibiotic monensin A Structure of a potassium complex of a crown ether, a synthetic ionophore-ion complex. Biological activities of metal ion-binding compounds can be changed in response to the increment of the metal concentration, and based on the latter compounds can be classified as "metal ionophores", "metal chelators" or "metal ...
The concentration of hydrogen ions and pH are inversely proportional; in an aqueous solution, an increased concentration of hydrogen ions yields a low pH, and subsequently, an acidic product. By definition, an acid is an ion or molecule that can donate a proton, and when introduced to a solution it will react with water molecules (H 2 O) to ...
Potassium is the major cation (K +, a positive ion) inside animal cells, while sodium (Na +) is the major cation outside animal cells.The difference between the concentrations of these charged particles causes a difference in electric potential between the inside and outside of cells, known as the membrane potential.
Evolution of metal ions in biological systems refers to the incorporation of metallic ions into living organisms and how it has changed over time. Metal ions have been associated with biological systems for billions of years, but only in the last century have scientists began to truly appreciate the scale of their influence.