What effect does ethanol have on membrane permeability?

Ethanol is known to affect membrane permeability significantly. It interacts with the lipid bilayer of cell membranes, disrupting the structural integrity of phospholipids and leading to increased fluidity. This disruption can result in the disintegration of the membrane, allowing substances that are normally contained within the cell to leak out, and external substances to enter more easily. Ethanol can increase membrane permeability to various molecules, which is why it is widely used in experiments that involve the leakage of pigments from organelles like chloroplasts. This makes the assertion that ethanol causes membrane disintegration accurate, as it aligns with our understanding of how ethanol impacts cellular membranes at a molecular level.