Diffusion Although you may not know what diffusion is, you have experienced the process. Can you remember walking into the front door of your home and smelling a pleasant aroma coming from the kitchen? It was the diffusion of particles from the kitchen to the front door of the house that allowed you to detect the odors. Diffusion is defined as the net movement of particles from an area of greater concentration to an area of lesser concentration.
The molecules in a gas, a liquid, or a solid are in constant motion due to their kinetic energy. Molecules are in constant movement and collide with each other. These collisions cause the molecules to move in random directions. Over time, however, more molecules will be propelled into the less concentrated area. Thus, the net movement of molecules is always from more tightly packed areas to less tightly packed areas. Many things can diffuse.
Odors diffuse through the air, salt diffuses through water and nutrients diffuse from the blood to the body tissues. This spread of particles through the random motion from an area of high concentration to an area of lower concentration is known as diffusion. This unequal distribution of molecules is called a concentration gradient.
Once the molecules become uniformly distributed, a dynamic equilibrium exists. The equilibrium is said to be dynamic because molecules continue to move, but despite this change, there is no net change in concentration over time. Both living and nonliving systems experience the process of diffusion. In living systems, diffusion is responsible for the movement of a large number of substances, such as gases and small uncharged molecules, into and out of cells.