From the potential energy function (Fig. ) we observe that the these molecules encounter no barrier to insert in the membrane. Thus, the partitioning between membrane and solution is effectively only governed by the partition coefficient between membrane and solution. In all cases, the partition coefficients inferred from Fig. are very high, with the estimated concentrations in the membrane 10 billion-fold higher in the membrane versus in solution (Table ). While passive lipid transport mechanisms reliant on lipid transit through an aqueous environment, these processes are slow. Thus, passive processes alone may not be enough to nucleate an extracellular protodroplet of root exudate that would potentially grow as more sorgoleone is produced.