Flow in an Electric Field: Conduction

Abstract

To this point, our discussion has focused on the transport of molecules simply by the random process of diffusion. What happens when the system experiences an electric field? This is an extremely important aspect of cellular systems because so many biologically active chemical species, including proteins, carbohydrates, lipids, and ions, carry a net charge and will respond with a net flow of current to the electric fields that are ever present in cellular systems. In the following derivation, the focus will be on the net movement of charge in solutions of inorganic ions because the majority of charge transfer in solution is accounted for by these ions.