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Article: Active Transport
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- Biology
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CopyrightCOPYRIGHT 2002 The Gale Group Inc. This material is published under license from the publisher through the Gale Group, Farmington Hills, Michigan. All inquiries regarding rights should be directed to the Gale Group. (Hide copyright information)
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Active Transport
Active transport is the movement of molecules up their concentration
gradient
, using energy.
Concentration Gradients
The concentration of most molecules inside a cell is different than the concentration of molecules in the surrounding environment. The plasma membrane separates the internal environment of the cell from the fluid bathing the cell and regulates the flow of molecules both into and out of the cell. The second law of thermodynamics states that molecules, whether in the gas or liquid state, will move spontaneously from an area of higher concentration to an area of lower concentration or down their concentration gradient.
A concentration gradient can be ...