a chemical compound capable of forming a complex with an ion and transporting it through a biological membrane
Word origin
C20: from ion + -o- + -phore
ionophore in American English
(aɪˈɑnəˌfɔr)
noun
any of a group of compounds that transport, across a plasma membrane, ions which are not able to cross by themselves; esp., any of certain antibiotics, as valinomycin