Which statement correctly distinguishes permeation from rate of transfer?

• A. Permeation is the speed at which a chemical seeps through the glove, while rate of transfer is the chemical's ability to seep.
• B. Permeation is the chemical's ability to seep through the glove; rate of transfer is the speed of seepage through the glove.
• C. Permeation and rate of transfer are synonyms.
• D. Permeation refers to glove degradation; rate of transfer refers to evaporation.

Answer: (B)

Permeation describes the chemical’s ability to pass through the glove material—its potential to cross the barrier. The rate of transfer, on the other hand, is the actual speed at which that crossing happens under the given conditions. So a chemical might have a high ability to permeate a glove (high permeability) but still move through it slowly, resulting in a lower rate of transfer, depending on factors like concentration, temperature, and the glove material. This distinction helps explain why we talk about both whether a chemical can get through a glove and how quickly it might do so.