Mass diffusivity
Diffusivity or diffusion coefficient is a proportionality constant between the molar flux due to molecular diffusion and the gradient in the concentration of the species (or the driving force for diffusion). Diffusivity is encountered in Fick's law and numerous other equations of physical chemistry.
The diffusivity is generally prescribed for a given pair of species and pairwise for a multi-species system. The higher the diffusivity (of one substance with respect to another), the faster they diffuse into each other. Typically, a compound's diffusion coefficient is ~10,000× as great in air as in water. Carbon dioxide in air has a diffusion coefficient of 16 mm2/s, and in water its diffusion coefficient is 0.0016 mm2/s.
Diffusivity has an SI unit of m2/s (length2 / time). In CGS units it is given
in cm2/s.
Temperature dependence of the diffusion coefficient
Solids
The diffusion coefficient in solids at different temperatures is generally found to be well predicted by the Arrhenius equation:
