Question

What feature of a membrane describes whether molecules can cross the membrane?

Answer 1

Permeability is the ability of a membrane to allow molecules to pass through it. A membrane can be permeable to some molecules but not others, depending on its structure and composition.

Answer 2

The feature of a membrane that describes whether molecules can cross the membrane is its permeability. Permeability is the ability of a membrane to allow molecules to pass through it. A membrane can be permeable to some molecules but not others, depending on its structure and composition.

Answer 3

A membrane that has selective permeability allows only substances meeting certain criteria to pass through it unaided. In the case of the cell membrane, only relatively small, nonpolar materials can move through the lipid bilayer at biologically relevant rates (remember, the lipid tails of the membrane are nonpolar).