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Related Concept Videos

Asymmetric Lipid Bilayer01:35

Asymmetric Lipid Bilayer

Biological membranes show uneven distribution of different types of lipids in the inner and outer layers, resulting in transverse asymmetric membranes. The treatment of the erythrocyte membrane with the enzyme phospholipase confirmed the asymmetric nature of the lipid bilayer. The enzyme hydrolyzes lipids into fatty acids and hydrophilic groups. The phospholipase acts only on the outer layer of the membrane, while the inner layer remains intact. The phospholipase treatment resulted in 80%...
Membrane Fluidity01:26

Membrane Fluidity

Membrane fluidity is explained by the fluid mosaic model of the cell membrane, which describes the plasma membrane structure as a mosaic of components—including phospholipids, cholesterol, proteins, and carbohydrates—that gives the membrane a fluid character.
Mosaic nature of the membrane
The mosaic characteristic of the membrane helps the plasma membrane remain fluid. The integral proteins and lipids exist as separate but loosely-attached molecules in the membrane. The membrane is a relatively...
Membrane Fluidity01:23

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Cell membranes are composed of phospholipids, proteins, and carbohydrates loosely attached to one another through chemical interactions. Molecules are generally able to move about in the plane of the membrane, giving the membrane its flexible nature called fluidity. Two other features of the membrane contribute to membrane fluidity: the chemical structure of the phospholipids and the presence of cholesterol in the membrane.Fatty acids tails of phospholipids can be either saturated or...
Protein Diffusion in the Membrane01:24

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Proteins show rotational as well as lateral diffusion across the membrane. The lateral diffusion of proteins was confirmed through the cell fusion experiment where mouse and human cells were fused, resulting in hybrid cells. When the human and mouse cells fused, the specific membrane proteins on human and mouse cells were marked with the red and green-fluorescent markers, respectively. Initially, the red and green fluorescence was located on the respective hemisphere of the cell. As time...
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Diffusion is the passive movement of substances down their concentration gradients—requiring no expenditure of cellular energy. Substances, such as molecules or ions, diffuse from an area of high concentration to an area of low concentration in the cytosol or across membranes. Eventually, the concentration will even out, with the substance moving randomly but causing no net change in concentration. Such a state is called dynamic equilibrium, which is essential for maintaining overall...
What are Lipids?01:38

What are Lipids?

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Updated: Jun 10, 2026

Fluorescence Recovery after Merging a Droplet to Measure the Two-dimensional Diffusion of a Phospholipid Monolayer
07:54

Fluorescence Recovery after Merging a Droplet to Measure the Two-dimensional Diffusion of a Phospholipid Monolayer

Published on: October 15, 2015

Phospholipid diffusion at the oil-water interface.

Robert B Walder1, Andrei Honciuc, Daniel K Schwartz

  • 1Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering University of Colorado, Boulder, Colorado 80309, USA.

The Journal of Physical Chemistry. B
|August 17, 2010
PubMed
Summary

Interfacial diffusion of phospholipids depends on molecular area and oil viscosity. At high viscosities, a distinct "hopping" diffusion mechanism becomes significant for surfactant molecules at the oil/water interface.

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Area of Science:

  • Physical Chemistry
  • Surface Science
  • Interfacial Phenomena

Background:

  • Understanding molecular behavior at interfaces is crucial for various applications.
  • Phospholipid diffusion at oil/water interfaces is influenced by surface concentration and surrounding medium viscosity.
  • Previous studies have explored interfacial dynamics, but a comprehensive analysis across a wide viscosity range was lacking.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To characterize the diffusion of fluorescently labeled phospholipids at the oil/water interface.
  • To investigate the influence of oil viscosity and surface concentration on phospholipid diffusion.
  • To elucidate the underlying diffusion mechanisms at varying oil viscosities.

Main Methods:

  • Fluorescence Recovery After Photobleaching (FRAP) was employed to measure diffusion coefficients.
  • Measurements were conducted across a four-order-of-magnitude range of oil viscosities.
  • Direct tracking and trajectory analysis were used for observing condensed domain diffusion.

Main Results:

  • Interfacial diffusion coefficient increased with molecular area, reaching saturation around 100 A²/molecule.
  • At molecular areas below 80 A²/molecule, condensed monolayer domains were observed.
  • For viscosities up to 1500 cP, diffusion scaled inversely with oil viscosity, indicating viscous drag.
  • Above 1500 cP, individual molecule diffusion slowed less than predicted by viscous drag alone.

Conclusions:

  • Two distinct diffusion mechanisms operate at the oil/water interface: interfacial movement and activated hopping.
  • Interfacial movement dominates at lower viscosities and is subject to viscous drag.
  • Activated hopping becomes significant in highly viscous oils, altering diffusion dynamics for individual surfactant molecules.