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In chemistry, an amphiphile (from Greek αμφις (amphis) 'both' and φιλíα 'love, friendship'), or amphipath, is a chemical compound possessing both hydrophilic (water-loving, polar) and lipophilic (fat-loving, nonpolar) properties. [1] Such a compound is called amphiphilic or amphipathic.
Biological molecules are amphiphilic or amphipathic, i.e. are simultaneously hydrophobic and hydrophilic. [6] The phospholipid bilayer contains charged hydrophilic headgroups, which interact with polar water. The layers also contain hydrophobic tails, which meet with the hydrophobic tails of the complementary layer.
Glycerophospholipids are the main structural component of biological membranes. Their amphipathic nature drives the formation of the lipid bilayer structure of membranes. The cell membrane seen under the electron microscope consists of two identifiable layers, or "leaflets", each of which is made up of an ordered row of glycerophospholipid ...
Lecithin (/ ˈ l ɛ s ɪ θ ɪ n / LESS-ith-in; from the Ancient Greek λέκιθος lékithos "yolk") is a generic term to designate any group of yellow-brownish fatty substances occurring in animal and plant tissues which are amphiphilic – they attract both water and fatty substances (and so are both hydrophilic and lipophilic), and are ...
Phospholipids [1] are a class of lipids whose molecule has a hydrophilic "head" containing a phosphate group and two hydrophobic "tails" derived from fatty acids, joined by an alcohol residue (usually a glycerol molecule). Marine phospholipids typically have omega-3 fatty acids EPA and DHA integrated as part of the phospholipid molecule. [2]
Phospholipids and glycolipids consist of two long, nonpolar (hydrophobic) hydrocarbon chains linked to a hydrophilic head group. The heads of phospholipids are phosphorylated and they consist of either: Glycerol (and hence the name phosphoglycerides given to this group of lipids), or; Sphingosine (e.g. sphingomyelin and ceramide).
The α-Helices and β-Sheets are commonly amphipathic, meaning they have a hydrophilic and a hydrophobic portion. This ability helps in forming tertiary structure of a protein in which folding occurs so that the hydrophilic sides are facing the aqueous environment surrounding the protein and the hydrophobic sides are facing the hydrophobic core ...
Such molecules comprise a hydrophilic (literally 'water-loving') head-group (which may be ionic or non-ionic) attached to a hydrophobic ('water-hating') group. The micro-phase segregation of two incompatible components on a nanometer scale results in different type of solvent-induced extended anisotropic [ 3 ] arrangement, depending on the ...