Ion Channels: Structure and Function. Ion channels are membrane protein complexes and their function is to facilitate the diffusion of ions across biological membranes. Membranes, or phospholipid bilayers, build a hydrophobic, low dielectric barrier to hydrophilic and charged molecules. They are electrical insulators.
The inert gas xenon (chemical symbol Xe) has an atomic number of 54, and it has 54 protons in its nucleus. The number of neutrons varies, however.
Xenon is in the air that we breathe, but itâs also one of the rarest elements on Earth. There is about 1 part xenon in every 11.5 million parts of air. The global industry that extracts liquid xenon produces a total of about 40 tons of xenon per year, so 10 tons is a very tall order.