Question

What are two likely reasons a Cl ion cannot pass through a sodium ion channel?

Answer 1

The answers are;

1. Cl- is bigger an size atom compared to K+.  Therefore, Cl does not fit in the active site of the of the ion channel transmembrane protein.

2. Cl- is an anion while K+ is a cation. Cl- therefore does not interact positively with the charges in the channel of the transmembrane protein