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Which molecule is a hydrophilic molecule?
Is the plasma membrane hydrophilic?
Are membrane proteins hydrophobic or hydrophilic?
Are phospholipids hydrophobic or hydrophilic?
The portions of an integral membrane protein found inside the membrane are hydrophobic, while those that are exposed to the cytoplasm or extracellular fluid tend to be hydrophilic.
Hydrophobic tails face inward and hydrophilic heads face outward. If you get these two ends mixed up, think of the root word “phobia” which means “fear.” Hydrophobic tails fear the water, so they will always try to be as far as possible from the water solutions in and out of the cell.
There are two important parts of a phospholipid: the head and the two tails. The head is a phosphate molecule that is attracted to water ( hydrophilic ). The two tails are made up of fatty acids (chains of carbon atoms) that aren’t compatible with, or repel, water ( hydrophobic ).
A hydrophilic molecule (or region of a molecule) is one that is attracted to water. The phosphate heads are thus attracted to the water molecules of both the extracellular and intracellular environments. The lipid tails, on the other hand, are uncharged, or nonpolar, and are hydrophobic—or “water fearing.”.
- Lindsay M. Biga, Sierra Dawson, Amy Harwell, Robin Hopkins, Joel Kaufmann, Mike LeMaster, Philip Mat...
- 2019
Structure and Composition of the Cell Membrane. Figure 1. Phospholipid Structure. A phospholipid molecule consists of a polar phosphate “head,” which is hydrophilic and a non-polar lipid “tail,” which is hydrophobic. Unsaturated fatty acids result in kinks in the hydrophobic tails.
This is because they are two-faced molecules, with hydrophilic (water-loving) phosphate heads and hydrophobic (water-fearing) hydrocarbon tails of fatty acids. In water, these molecules...
Jul 31, 2022 · The plasma membrane is composed of a bilayer of phospholipids, with their hydrophobic, fatty acid tails in contact with each other. The landscape of the membrane is studded with proteins, some of which span the membrane. Some of these proteins serve to transport materials into or out of the cell.