Question
Suggest a reason why inorganic ions, such as $\mathrm{K}^{+}, \mathrm{Na}^{+}, \mathrm{Ca}^{2+},$ and $\mathrm{Mg}^{2+},$ do not cross biological membranes by simple diffusion.
Step 1
Biological membranes are primarily composed of lipids, which are nonpolar molecules. This means that they do not have a charge and do not interact well with charged particles. Show more…
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Reflect and Apply Suggest a reason why inorganic ions, such as $\mathrm{K}^{+}$ $\mathrm{Na}^{+}, \mathrm{Ca}^{2+},$ and $\mathrm{Mg}^{2+},$ do not cross biological membranes by simple diffusion.
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