Patients with kidney illnesses use dialysis machines to...

Patients with kidney illnesses use dialysis machines to remove harmful urea from their blood. The blood is separated from a solution, called the dialysate, that is designed to remove wastes by diffusion through a semipermeable membrane. The semipermeable membrane is likely permeable to _____ and impermeable to _____. a. red blood cells, urea b. dialysate, blood plasma c. blood plasma, urea d. urea, red blood cells

Patients with kidney illnesses use dialysis machines to remove harmful urea from their blood. The blood is separated from a solution, called the dialysate, that is designed to remove wastes by diffusion through a semipermeable membrane. The semipermeable membrane is likely permeable to _____ and impermeable to _____.
a. red blood cells, urea
b. dialysate, blood plasma
c. blood plasma, urea
d. urea, red blood cells

Key Concepts

Molecular Size Selectivity

Molecular size selectivity is the principle that determines which molecules can pass through a membrane based on their size. In processes like dialysis, this selectivity ensures that small molecules like urea can diffuse across the membrane while larger entities such as red blood cells are kept from passing through, thus protecting vital blood components.

Dialysis

Dialysis is a medical treatment that uses a semipermeable membrane to remove waste products and excess substances from the blood when the kidneys are unable to do so. It relies on the principles of diffusion and selective permeability to cleanse the blood by allowing small, harmful molecules to pass through the membrane while keeping larger cellular components, such as red blood cells, within the bloodstream.

Diffusion

Diffusion is the process by which molecules move from an area of higher concentration to an area of lower concentration. In the context of dialysis, diffusion drives the movement of waste products like urea from the blood, where they are in higher concentration, to the dialysate, where they are in lower concentration.

Semipermeable Membrane

A semipermeable membrane is a barrier that selectively permits certain molecules or ions to pass through it while blocking others. Its selective permeability is usually based on factors such as the size, charge, or chemical properties of molecules, enabling it to allow small waste molecules to diffuse while retaining larger cells and proteins.

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