Final answer:
Molecules such as benzene, ethanol, glycerol, oxygen, and adenosine are more likely to diffuse through the lipid bilayer due to their small size and nonpolar nature, compared to their counterparts which may be charged, polar, or larger in size.
Step-by-step explanation:
To determine which molecules are more likely to diffuse through the lipid bilayer of a cell membrane, we need to understand that molecules that are small, nonpolar, and uncharged can easily move through the membrane via simple diffusion. Given this principle, here are the molecules that would more likely diffuse through:
- A. Benzene is more likely to diffuse through the lipid bilayer compared to amino acids because benzene is nonpolar and relatively smaller in size.
- B. Ethanol would diffuse more easily than Cl- because while ethanol is a small, polar molecule, it is able to pass through due to its small size and because Cl- is an ion, it would be repelled by the hydrophobic core.
- C. Glycerol is more likely to diffuse than RNA, because RNA is a large molecule and glycerol, while polar, is a smaller molecule than RNA.
- D. O2 (oxygen) is nonpolar and very small, which allows it to diffuse through the lipid bilayer more readily than H2O, even though H2O can pass through the bilayer via simple diffusion as well.
- E. It's a bit trickier to compare adenosine and ATP since they're both nucleotides. However, adenosine is smaller than ATP (which has three phosphate groups) and would more likely diffuse through the lipid bilayer.
Overall, molecules that are more likely to diffuse through the lipid bilayer are those that are small, nonpolar, and uncharged. Charged, polar, and larger molecules require other mechanisms to cross the membrane, such as facilitated diffusion or active transport.