Question

Determine the time required for oxygen to become uniformly distributed within a cell. Model the plasma membrane as a thin layer with permeability P.

Answer 1

Oxygen is an important factor in cellular energetics. Both oxidation and other forms of energy production depend on a continuous supply of oxygen to the cells. In mammals, oxygen is taken from the atmospheric air in the lungs, and carried out by the bloodstream through the circulation to the tissue, where it is utilized mainly by the mitochondria. It systematically covers the pathway of oxygen to and from the red blood cell through the plasma, endothelial cells, other elements of the vascular wall, and through extra-cellular and intra-cellular space to the mitochondria.