diffusion, process resulting from random motion of molecules by which there is a net flow of matter from a region of high concentration to a region of low concentration. A familiar example is the perfume of a flower that quickly permeates the still air of a room.
Heat conduction in fluids involves thermal energy transported, or diffused, from higher to lower temperature. Operation of a nuclear reactor involves the diffusion of neutrons through a medium that causes frequent scattering but only rare absorption of neutrons.
The rate of flow of the diffusing substance is found to be proportional to the concentration gradient. If j is the amount of substance passing through a reference surface of unit area per unit time, if the coordinate x is perpendicular to this reference area, if c is the concentration of the substance, and if the constant of proportionality is D, then j = −D(dc/dx); dc/dx is the rate of change of concentration in the direction x, and the minus sign indicates the flow is from higher to lower concentration. D is called the diffusivity and governs the rate of diffusion.