Chapter 24, Problem 24.73PP

BIO THE ELECTRIC EGG. Upon fertilization, the eggs of many species undergo a rapid change in potential difference across their outer membrane. This change affects the physiological development of the eggs. The potential difference across the membrane is called the membrane potential, V_m, which is the potential inside the membrane minus the potential outside it. The membrane potential arises when enzymes use the energy available in ATP to expel three sodium ions (Na⁺) actively and accumulate two potassium ions (K⁺) inside the membrane—making the interior less positively charged than the exterior. For a sea urchin egg, V_m is about −70 mV; that is, the potential inside is 70 mV less than that outside. The egg membrane behaves as a capacitor with a capacitance of about 1 μF/cm². The membrane of the unfertilized egg is selectively permeable to K⁺; that is, K⁺ can readily pass through certain channels in the membrane, but other ions cannot. When a sea urchin egg is fertilized, Na⁺ channels in the membrane open, Na⁺ enters the egg, and V_m rapidly increases to +30 mV, where it remains for several minutes. The concentration of Na⁺ is about 30 mmol/L in the egg’s interior but 450 mmol/L in the surrounding seawater. The K⁺ concentration is about 200 mmol/L inside but 10 mmol/L outside. A useful constant that connects electrical and chemical units is the Faraday number, which has a value of approximately 10⁵ C/mol; that is, Avogadro’s number (a mole) of monovalent ions, such as Na⁺ or K⁺, carries a charge of 10⁵ C.

24.73 How many moles of Na⁺ must m ove per unit area of membrane to change V_m from −70 mV to +30 mV, If we assume that the membrane behaves purely as a capacitor? (a) 10 ⁻⁴ mol/cm²; (b) 10⁻⁹ mol/cm²; (c) 10⁻¹² mol/cm²; (d) 10⁻¹⁴ mol/cm².