solvents affecting membrane permeability

• • The permeability of cell membranes depends on the solvent surrounding them.
  • This is because some solvents (such as ethanol) dissolve the lipids in a cell membrane, so the membrane loses its structure.
  • Some solvents increase membrane permeability more than others, e.g. ethanol increases membrane permeability more than methanol.
• Increasing the concentration of the solvent will also increase membrane permeability.