Amphipathic

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Amphipathic

Amphipathic (pronunciation: am-fi-path-ic) is a term used in biochemistry to describe a molecule that has both hydrophilic (water-loving) and hydrophobic (water-fearing) properties.

Etymology

The term "amphipathic" is derived from the Greek words "amphi", meaning "both", and "pathos", meaning "feeling" or "disease". This refers to the molecule's ability to interact with both water and nonpolar substances.

Related Terms

  • Hydrophilic: A term used to describe substances that are attracted to water.
  • Hydrophobic: A term used to describe substances that repel water.
  • Lipid: A type of molecule that is often amphipathic. Lipids are a key component of cell membranes.
  • Phospholipid: A type of lipid that is a major component of all cell membranes as they can form lipid bilayers. Most phospholipids contain a diglyceride, a phosphate group, and a simple organic molecule such as choline; one exception to this rule is sphingomyelin, which is derived from sphingosine instead of glycerol.
  • Micelle: An aggregate of surfactant molecules dispersed in a liquid colloid. A typical micelle in aqueous solution forms an aggregate with the hydrophilic "head" regions in contact with surrounding solvent, sequestering the hydrophobic single-tail regions in the micelle center.

See Also

External links

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