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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.
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 ...
In a non-polar solvent, it is the exposure of the hydrophilic head groups to the surrounding solvent that is energetically unfavourable, giving rise to a water-in-oil system. In this case, the hydrophilic groups are sequestered in the micelle core and the hydrophobic groups extend away from the center.
This results from the very amphipathic nature of the phospholipid itself, as the phosphate head is hydrophilic, while the fatty acid tail is hydrophobic. The general cellular environment and cytosol is considered aqueous, so it causes the phosphate heads to orient towards and interact with the aqueous environment, while the hydrophobic tails ...
Fluid mosaic model of a cell membrane. The fluid mosaic model explains various characteristics regarding the structure of functional cell membranes.According to this biological model, there is a lipid bilayer (two molecules thick layer consisting primarily of amphipathic phospholipids) in which protein molecules are embedded.
The carbon chain, typically between four and 24 carbons long, [23] may be saturated or unsaturated, and may be attached to functional groups containing oxygen, halogens, nitrogen, and sulfur. If a fatty acid contains a double bond, there is the possibility of either a cis or trans geometric isomerism , which significantly affects the molecule's ...
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).
Hydrophobins are characterised by the presence of 8 conserved cysteine residues that form 4 disulphide bonds. [15] They are able to reverse the wettability of surfaces by spontaneous self-assembly of the monomeric proteins into amphipathic monolayers at hydrophobic:hydrophilic surfaces.