• Your body is composed of trillions of cells.

We must
look closely at cells to understand how they function.

3-1 At the Boundary of the Cell

OBJECTIVES
• Define the function of a cell membrane.
• Explain why smaller cells function more
efficiently than larger cells.
• Distinguish between polar and non-polar
molecules.
• Compare the interaction of water molecules with
each other and with lipid molecules.
 Cells: The Smallest Vessels of Life
• All living things are made
of tiny compartments
called cells.
• A cell is the smallest unit
that can carry out all the
activities necessary for
life.
• The outer surface of a
cell, called the cell
membrane shields the
delicate internal
machinery of a cell.
• The cell membrane
separates what is inside
from what is outside.
Cells: The Smallest Vessels of Life
• A cell membrane has
"gates" that allow the raw
materials needed by the
cell to enter and that allow
harmful waste products to
exit promptly.
• Without this flow of
gate materials, a cell would not
be able to survive.
• The cell membrane helps
to maintain the internal
environment of the cell by
regulating what enters and
leaves the cell,.
 What Limits the Size of a Cell?
• Cell sizes vary, but most
cells are so small that you
can see them only through
a microscope.
• Cell parts cannot be too far
from the cell membrane
• Every bit of food and
information needed by the
cell must enter through the
cell membrane. When cells
are small, no part of their
complex machinery lies too
far from the area outside
the cell.
• Small cells work more
efficiently.
A Cell's Volume Increases Faster
Than Its Surface Area
• As a cell grows, it takes
gate in more food and
creates more wastes.
• These substances must
pass into and out of the
"gates" in the cell
membrane, which must
be large enough to
service the cell's needs.
• As the cell grows, so
does its membrane, but
cells cannot grow
indefinitely.
 A Cell's Volume Increases Faster
Than Its Surface Area
• As a cell grows, its volume increases at a greater rate than
its surface area.
• The ratio of a cell's surface area to its volume limits how
large a cell can become.
• Cells cannot grow so large that their surface area
becomes too small to take in enough food and remove
enough wastes.

Surface area = 96mm2

Volume = 64 mm 3
 Water and the Cell
• All cells are surrounded by
lipids water and contain water.
• Single-celled creatures
swim in ponds and oceans.
• Even blood or skin cells,
are surrounded by a thin
film of water.
• All of the complex
machinery inside the cell
perform their functions in
water water.
• The water inside and
outside the cell shapes the
cell membrane.
 Water Is a Polar Molecule
• The chemical formula
for water is H2O.
• A water molecule is
made of two hydrogen
atoms and one
oxygen atom bonded
together.
• These bonds form
when hydrogen and
oxygen atoms share
pairs of electrons.
Water Is a Polar Molecule
• An important thing about a
water molecule is that the
oxygen atom attracts
electrons more strongly than
the hydrogen atoms do.
• The electrons in the bonds
between the oxygen and each
hydrogen atoms are not
shared equally - they are
more likely to be near the
oxygen atom.
• Because electrons have a
negative charge, the oxygen
part of the water molecule is
slightly negative.
 Water Is a Polar Molecule
• The hydrogen atoms in the
water molecule have slightly
positive charges.
• The oxygen side of the
molecule has a partial
negative charge and the
hydrogen side of the molecule
has a partial positive charge.
• A molecule with a partial
negative charge on one side
and a partial positive charge
on the other side is called a
polar molecule.
• Most of the properties of water
are the result of its polarity.
 Water Is a Polar Molecule

• In this model of a
water molecule, the
H area near the oxygen
+’ve atom has a partial
negative charge; the
areas near the
hydrogen atoms have
partial positive
Oxygen H charges.

–’ve
 Water Molecules Cluster Together
• There is an attractive force
between particles of
opposite charge.
• When together, the
positive charge of one
water molecule attracts the
negative charge of another
water molecule.
• The attraction of hydrogen
atoms of one water
molecule to the oxygen
Hydrogen bonds atom of another water
molecule forms an
attractive force called a
hydrogen bond.
 Water Molecules Cluster Together
• Water molecules are at a
lower energy state when
bonded with each other.
• All things tend toward lower
energy so there is a natural
tendency for water
molecules to form hydrogen
bonds. Water molecules are
at a lower energy state
when bonded with each
other.
• All things tend toward lower
energy so there is a natural
tendency for water
molecules to form hydrogen
bonds. Water bonded by Hydrogen bonds
 Water and The Cell Membrane
• Water shapes the cell
membrane.
• The cell membrane is basically
a sheet of lipids.
• The interaction between water
and lipids shapes the cell
membrane.
• Oil and water will not mix and
soon after mixing, small beads
of oil form.
• The water and oil separate into
two distinct layers.
 Water and The Cell Membrane
• Water molecules start
to cluster together
because they form
hydrogen bonds with
each other.
• Lipids are non-polar
and are not attracted to
the water.
• Because the water
molecules attract one
another, the oil is
pushed away.
SECTION REVIEW
• What is the function of a cell membrane?
SECTION REVIEW
• Why is it advantageous for a cell to grow only to
a certain size and then divide into two smaller
cells?
SECTION REVIEW
• How does a polar molecule differ from a non-
polar molecule? Give an example of each
molecule.
SECTION REVIEW
• How do the properties of water help shape a cell
membrane?
 References & Acknowledgements
• Johnson, George B.: Biology, Visualizing Life, HOLT,
RINEHART & WINSTON; Austin,1998.
• Miller, Kenneth R. & Levine, Joseph: Biology, Prentice
Hall; Upper Saddle River, New Jersey, 2004.
• Campbell, Neil A., Williamson, Brad & Heyden, Robin J.
BIOLOGY, Exploring Life, Prentice Hall; Needham,
Massachusetts, 2004.
• Biggs, Alton, Hagins; Whitney Crispen; Kapica, Chris;
Lundgren, Linda; Rillero, Peter; Tallman, Kathleen G.;
Zike, Dinah; National Geographic Society; Biology, The
Dynamics of Life, McGraw Hill, Glencoe, New York,
New York, 2004.