Question

Which of these can RAPIDLY pass directly through the phospholipids of the plasma membrane, without the help of a transport protein?

Answer 1

Answer:

Small nonpolar molecules, such as O2 and CO2, are soluble in the lipid bilayer and therefore can readily cross cell membranes. Small uncharged polar molecules, such as H2O, also can diffuse through membranes, but Ions, such as hydrogen ions, and hydrophilic molecules, such as water and glucose, cannot rapidly pass directly through the phospholipids of the membrane. To move rapidly through the membrane, they must pass through membrane transport proteins.