Fire and Ice: The Relationship Between Temperature and the Diffusion of NaCl

Abstract

The nephron loop can be described as a selectively permeable membrane. Synthetic biology is the study of manufacturing organic structures. Our lab tested a newly developed artificial membrane that closely resembles a nephron loop in structure and function, as the nephron loop also allows the diffusion of salt through a membrane (Hoefnagels, 2014). We questioned in what environment the membrane would best allow NaCl to diffuse. Our experiment shows that NaCl will diffuse out of the membrane faster in hot water than in room temperature water. These findings will help us understand in what environment a dialysis machine would best perform.