Transport Through Neutral Membranes

Abstract

This chapter considers the movement of solute and solvent through membranes. The movement of electrically neutral particles through aqueous pores in membranes has many applications in physiology, such as the flow of nutrients through the capillary walls, the regulation of fluid in the interstitial space, and the operation of the kidney. The central concept of this chapter is osmosis: the flow of water resulting from solute concentration differences on each side of a membrane. Transport concepts are applied to ultrafiltration, dialysis, and countercurrent transport. The chapter ends with a detailed model of fluid and solute transport through a single pore.