🧲 Vacuum device 🧬 Moves molecules

molecular pump

5.1

A protein or tiny machine that uses energy to move ions across a cell membrane

noun
/məˈlɛkjələr pʌmp/

Specialized

: bomba molecular

The sodium–potassium molecular pump helps maintain the cell's electrochemical gradient and resting potential.

Examples

During the lecture, she explained how ATP powers each molecular pump in the cell membrane to move molecules.
Researchers designed a synthetic molecular pump that transports ions across an artificial lipid bilayer.
The molecular pump regulates ion flow in cells.
Researchers developed a new molecular pump for drug delivery.
The sodium–potassium molecular pump is essential for regulating fluid balance in the cell.
Scientists revealed how a new molecular pump can efficiently move ions across cellular membranes.
In their study, researchers illustrated the role of the molecular pump in transmitting signals within the neuron.

Surface Forms

molecular pump singular

molecular pumps plural

Morphology

molecular + pump

The compound is a straightforward modifier+noun: 'molecular' (relating to molecules) specifies the scale/type of 'pump' (a device that moves substances). Although the term is technical, its meaning — a pump that moves molecules or ions — is transparently derivable from the constituents and follows common compositional patterns, so a learner who knows the words would grasp the general sense.

Etymology

Molecular pump in biology is a molecule or tiny machine that uses energy to push ions or other molecules across a cell membrane. Think of a small turnstile or motor that pumps things from one side to the other, so the name tells you it 'moves' molecules at a very small scale.